The “SS” mark on a USB port stands for SuperSpeed, the label once used for USB 3.x connections. On older computers and AV gear, it indicates at least 5Gbps transfer speed; the USB-IF dropped the SuperSpeed and USB 3.x marketing names in 2022.
USB 3.0 initially offered speeds up to 5Gbps, compared with USB 2.0’s 480Mbps maximum. Later versions brought repeated renaming: 10Gbps was labeled USB 3.1 Gen 2 in 2013, while 20Gbps became USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 in 2017. Current USB 3.2 names use transfer rates, such as USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps and USB 20Gbps.
The USB-IF’s speed-based labels also extend to USB4, including USB 40Gbps and USB 80Gbps. Manufacturers must meet the consortium’s compliance testing to use these labels.
