For years now smartphones have featured USB connectivity, however with ever-increasing storage capacities and the large file sizes associated with multimedia such as photos and videos it seems as if USB 2.0 is starting to show its age, well today we have some great news as it looks like future smartphones and tablets could boast USB 3.0 connectivity.
According to PCWorld.com the chief technology officer of the USB Implementers Forum, Rahman Ismail, has stated that we could well high-speed microUSB 3.0 ports will come to small devices such as tablets and smartphones early next year. Not only will this allow you to transfer data much faster between your device and your computer, but it will also allow you to charge your device faster as well.
We don’t have specifics in terms of performance, but we are told that we shouldn’t expect the same speeds achievable on a USB 3.0-compliant PC, instead 100MB/s speeds should be achievable (which equates to 800Mbps). This should mean that what would take 15 minutes to transfer over USB 2.0 will take just 1 minute and 10 seconds when using a mobile device’s USB 3.0 port. The only issue with this is said to be that power consumption will be higher than USB 2.0, but this isn’t a major issue in our opinion as people won’t be transferring files too regularly – especially with advances in cloud storage solutions.
As things progress we are sure that power efficiency will improve, so perhaps by the time microUSB ports hit smartphones and tablets we won’t have to sorry about it having such a negative affect on battery life, the good news is that even if it does drain your battery the charger will fill your battery faster than ever.
Whilst talking about microUSB 3.0 Rahman Ismail also suggested that standard USB 3.0 ports could become thinner, this will allow devices such as netbooks to be thinner once manufacturers stop giving their products VGA ports – so don’t be too surprised if the standard USB ports which we have used for the past decade or so soon become a thing of the past.
With CES 2012 currently underway there’s a chance that we may find out more about the future of USB 3.0 and devices which use the exciting microUSB 3.0 port – when we hear more so will you.
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol, or (AD). Also, prices and information correct at publish time and date.
