Universal Serial Bus or USB ports, especially USB Type-A and Type-B, can have different colors, which are indicated by the color of the plastic insert present in the connectors. Blue USB ports, quite common on modern computing devices, are often considered faster than other common ports, such as black USB ports or white USB ports. However, if you have a red USB port on your computer, which is relatively less common, there’s a good chance you have access to a faster port than blue USB.
The color of the USB port is usually associated with the USB generation supported by the connector, which determines the speed at which it can transfer data or its power capabilities. In some cases, the port color can also indicate whether the port has always-on functionality, allowing it to power or charge the connected device even when the computer is asleep. For example, if a USB port is orange, it is typically an always-on port and can also support USB 3.2 Gen 1 (or USB 3.0) data transfer speeds. So, what are the capacities of the blue and red USB ports, and what is the speed of the red USB port? Let’s find out.
Red USB ports can achieve data transfer rates of up to 20 Gbps
The presence of a blue plastic insert in a USB port indicates that it supports the USB 3.0 or SuperSpeed USB generation, released in November 2008. Also known as USB 3.2 Gen 1, the USB 3.0 specification is capable of achieving data transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps and a power supply of 900 mA at 5 volts (or 4.5 W). In some cases, when a USB 3.0 port is dedicated to charging, it can deliver up to 1,500 mA at 5 V for a total of 7.5 W.
Red USB ports, on the other hand, are typically associated with the USB 3.1, USB 3.2 Gen 2, or USB 3.2 (aka USB 3.2 Gen 2×2) generations, all of which are newer than USB 3.0, and can handle data transfer rates of up to 10 Gbps in the case of USB 3.1 and up to 20 Gbps in the case of USB 3.2. The red USB ports, however, are similar in terms of power delivery, but you get support for always-on functionality. So, if your computer has blue and red USB ports, there is a very good chance that you will get faster data transfer rates and support for always-on power on the red port. There is, however, one big caveat.
Port colors don’t always tell the whole story
While USB port colors are generally a pretty good indicator of what you can expect from a USB port in terms of data transfer and power delivery capabilities, it’s not always guaranteed. Indeed, the USB Implementers Forum (or USB-IF) has not made it mandatory to use specific colors with specific USB ports. This is only a recommendation, meaning device and motherboard manufacturers are free to use any color they want when including a USB port. Although most follow common USB port colors, this isn’t always a given.
An example of a popular computer manufacturer that does not follow this practice is HP, which includes black-colored plastic inserts in the front USB Type-A port of its Omen 25L gaming computer, despite the USB ports supporting USB 3.2 Gen 1 or 5 Gbps data transfer rates. So it’s always a good idea to check the capabilities of a USB port in the documentation provided by the manufacturer or by asking the manufacturer directly.