USB 3.0 Cables
Physical Differences
USB 3.0 cables have an additional phsyical bus - doubling the amount of wires from 4 to 8. Additional wires require more space in both the cables and connectors, so there are new types of connectors for the B Male and Micro B Male. These connector types are larger than the 2.0 equivalents to accomodate the additional wires and cannot be used with 2.0 ports. Notice in the image below that the blue (USB 3.0) B-Male connector will not physically fit into the USB 2.0 port of the device.
The different USB 3.0 cables connectors (typically blue on the inside) can be seen in the image below alongside the 2.0 counterpart connectors. This means that any device that uses the different connectors cannot use the 2.0 equivalent cables. In addition while the 2.0 B connectors physically fit into the 3.0 B ports the different wiring configuration does not allow proper data transfer. The A connectors still work properly so any 2.0 device with a 2.0 cable can be used with 3.0 ports or hubs.
B Male Connectors: 2.0, 3.0
B Micro Male Connectors: 2.0, 3.0
A Male Connectors: 2.0, 3.0
Compatibility
| Connector Type | USB 3.0 Port | USB 2.0 Port |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 B Male | Yes | Will not fit |
| 2.0 B Male | Will not work properly | Yes |
| 3.0 B Micro Male | Yes | Will not fit |
| 2.0 B Micro Male | Will not work properly | Yes |
| 3.0 A Male | Yes | Yes, transfer rate at 2.0 speeds |
| 2.0 A Male | Yes, transfer rate at 2.0 speeds | Yes |
| 3.0 A Female | Yes | Yes, transfer rate at 2.0 speeds |
| 2.0 A Female | Yes, transfer rate at 2.0 speeds | Yes |
When purchasing new cables make sure you are choosing the correct cable for the device and ports.