If I were to buy a 3.2 Gen 2 (SuperSpeed 20Gb/s) USB-C cable, will my USB-C dock (USB 3.1 gen 2 (SuperSpeed 10Gb/s) hardware) be able to take advantage of it?
My laptop is a 4th generation ThinkPad X1 Yoga, and it’s USB-C ports are Thunderbolt 3. Doesn’t say what it will run in as USB.
Unlikely since the extra bandwidth is achieved by having another data lane, which the hub would simple be unable to accept.
As far as I understand it, every names revision is not forward compatibale at all. Part of the issue I have with the entire USB 3 generation. They just started changing names every year on the same socket changing it as they made a new one and gave it the old name and needed a new name for the old one then it all got confusing so they changed all of the names to be in sequence again but it still didn’t make sense and there were still revisions coming so I think they changed again but honestly lost track and the will to care after 3, changed to 3.1, to 5gps, to 10 to gen 1 to 3 gen 1, then 3.1 gen 1 and so on.
So no
Take the exact revision you have, whatever that is named this year, and that is exactly what it will do, no faster.
you can use faster cables but you will not get any additional boost from it.
And it will take years for hardware to broadly adapt to 20Gbps capability. Right now, we still have lots of 5Gbps hardware around. Because things like disk enclosures or Docks or other high bandwidth hardware don’t get a revision every year or two, but more like every 5 years. Just remember how long USB 2.0 flash drives were around.
I expect some early adopter premium price products in the near term, but broad availability not before like 2025.
And by then USB 4 will be a general thing, probably stuffed in Type-C to add to the confusion with that standard…
Thunderbolt 3 supports up to USB 3.1 gen 2 (10Gbit) when connected to a non-Thunderbolt device. So if you’re already using a 10Gbit rated USB cable there is no additional performance to be gained from your dock. Consider purchasing a Thunderbolt 3 dock if you need more I/O throughput off the dock’s USB ports.
The Number is (was) the generation and speed, the letter is the connector. It is not that confusing.
The BS is Type C not being consistently in the number of pins used.
Yeah that more what I mean, with Type-C supporting anything from 1.1 to 4 and various thunderbolts, power delivery, display, audio and networking along woth probably a few more. Type-C is a crap shoot.
Considering it was meant to replace bulky Type-A and the various Bs which at this stage have no business being even USB2 limited were never standardised and very difficult to get one that actually can do all of the high end features.
It is a connector that rather than unify has split and forced bad options and almost assures that the cables can never be up to standard which ever combinantion of which they pick.
They should be like the previous one. One plug with a colour and pins ,you know and can tell on sight what you have. Type-C is anyones guess.
Are you saying my phone doesn’t really have thunderbolt? I plugged it in it’s super fast 
No no no no, thats the headphone port. Dont put power in there 
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