When you're looking at a row of USB ports, they all look pretty much the same. But did you know that each color represents a different type of connection? Here's a quick guide to USB port colours.
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White USB Port
The white USB port is aka USB 1.X. was introduced in 1996, it is the oldest USB port type and was originally developed for keyboards, mouse and other low-speed devices. It could transfer at speed starting from 1.5 Mbps and can reach upto 12 Mbps at full bandwidth. However, the data can only be transferred in one direction.
Black USB Port
Aka USB 2.0, the black USB port was introduced in 2000 and is significantly faster than the white USB port, with a data transfer speed reaching upto 480 Mbps. However, the only drawback was like USB 1.X it could only transfer data in one direction. The black USB port offers all of the features of the white USB port but has greater reliability. It can be used with a range of devices, including keyboards, mouse, microphones, speakers, digital cameras, CD-RWs, external HDDs, DVDs and even flash flash drives.
Blue USB Port
The blue USB port is aka USB 3.0 or SuperSpeed (SS) USB was introduced in 2008 and offers a data transfer speed of upto 5 Gbps, which is more than 10 times faster when compared with USB 2.0. Also additionally, it could transfer data in both directions simultaneously. The blue USB port also has backward-compatible, meaning it can be used with devices that only support USB 2.0 or 1.X. However, the data transfer speed will be limited to the capabilities of those devices. This type of USB port supports our USB-A connectors, which is the connector type that most people associate with USB connectors.
Teal USB Port
The teal USB port is also known as the USB 3.1 Gen 1 or SuperSpeed+ (SS+) USB. Released in 2013, it supports upto 10 Gbps of data transfer speed, which is twice as fast as USB 3.0. The color is similar to USB 3.0, but it will appear as slightly more green-toned than the classic blue of 3.0. This is the easiest way to differentiate USB 3.0 vs 3.1 ports. It also has backward-compatible and can be used with devices that only support USB 3.0, 2.0, or 1.X. Additionally, it supports duplex communication which means data can be transferred in both directions simultaneously.
Red USB Port
The red USB port is generally classified as USB 3.2, which was released in 2017. However, it can also be used to indicate a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. Its transfer speed can reach up to 20 Gbps, which has made it the fastest of all USB ports for many years. This type of port can sometimes be orange instead of red.
Yellow USB Port
The yellow USB port is another color that can indicate either USB 3.2 or USB 3.1 Gen 2. While the data transfer speed is the same as the red USB port, 20 Gbps, the two are not interchangeable. The yellow USB port is more commonly found on laptops while the red USB port is more commonly found on desktop computers. This is because the yellow USB port indicates that it is always on, meaning it will continue to draw power even when the computer is turned off or in sleep mode. As a result, you can generally use it to charge other devices, such as smartphones.
Purple USB Port
A purple USB port typically signifies support for USB 3.1 technology. USB 3.1 offers faster data transfer speeds—up to 10 Gbps; compared to USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) and USB 3.0 (5 Gbps),which makes purple USB ports ideal for tasks like transferring large files, streaming high-resolution videos, or charging devices quickly. However, the color purple isn’t always standardized. In certain cases, a purple USB port may indicate support for Huawei’s SuperCharge technology, a proprietary fast-charging standard designed for Huawei devices. These ports can deliver higher wattages, up to 66W, for faster charging.
Conclusion
Understanding these color codes can help you make the most of your device’s capabilities, ensuring you connect your peripherals to the optimal USB port for both power and data transfer needs. So next time you’re fumbling around behind your PC, you’ll know exactly which port to use.
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