USB 3.2 Gen 1 vs. USB-B
Comparing 2 standards across 8 specifications. 8 key differences identified.
Originally released as USB 3.0 in November 2008, this 5 Gbit/s "SuperSpeed" tier was retroactively renamed USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 when the USB 3.2 specification arrived in 2017 -- the first step in a naming scheme many found more confusing than clarifying, since the underlying hardware and speed never actually changed.
USB-B (Standard-B) is the squarish connector historically used on printers, scanners, and external hard drives -- the peripheral-side counterpart to USB-A. A 9-pin SuperSpeed variant with a distinctive stacked upper tab was added for USB 3.0, though USB-C has since displaced Standard-B in most new peripheral designs.
Specification Comparison Table
8 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Original Name
|
USB 3.0 (November 2008) | — |
|
Current Name
|
USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (also marketed as "USB 5Gbps") | — |
|
Max Bandwidth / Data Rate
|
5 Gbit/s | — |
|
Introduced
|
SuperSpeed signaling, full-duplex architecture, 9-pin USB-A/B connectors | — |
|
Pin Count
|
— | 4 (USB 1.x/2.0) or 9 (USB 3.0+, stacked SuperSpeed tab) |
|
Standard Base Dimensions
|
— | ~11.1 x 7.0 mm |
|
Reversible
|
— | No |
|
Typical Role
|
— | Peripheral-side port (printers, scanners, external drives) |