USB Type-C, what You Need to Know

All you need to know about USB-C

Most cars have the USB 3 version as a standard, while many phone manufacturers, Apple MacBooks, Google Pixel phones, and other electronics are switching to the new standard USB-C. A lot of consumers are still confused about Type-C connectors and how they differ from all the other connectors out there.

And, ready or not, USB Type-C devices, cables, and chargers will be all over electronics in a short time, which means that the final aim is to completely replace all other types of USB connectors.

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WHAT IS USB CONNECTION?

Before explaining the differences between these types of USB, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of USB in the first place.

USB is simply the standard when we are talking about connectivity because smartphones, desktop computers, laptops, cameras, printers and USB memory sticks use USB. Throughout the years, a lot of improvements have been made in USB technology starting with USB 1.1 and the USB 2.0, which was followed by USB 3.0 and now the latest one USB 3.1.

All of these types of USB use the same physical ports – USB Type-A plug that goes to computers and a micro-B or mini-B that goes to smartphones, cameras, etc.

Therefore, it is important to say that standards related to USB connections have changed over the years with a strong focus on how fast data is transferred from one device to another.

WHAT IS USB 3.0?

All previously mentioned USB ports are compatible, which means that you are able to plug in your device to any of the USB ports on your PC, for example, and everything would be working just fine.

In order to realize how much USB technology has improved over the years, it is enough to just look at the speed of transferring data. USB 1.1, which was launched roughly twenty years ago, was able to transfer data at 12 Mbit/s and USB 3.0, launched in 2008, is able to transfer data at 5 Gbit/s.

As already mentioned, USB technology has worked on data transfer speed hence the new standard has been introduced named USB 3.1. Unlike USB 3.0, USB 3.1, published in July 2013, can transfer data at 10 Gbit/s which is an amazing improvement, especially because it is not all just about data transfer anymore. Nowadays, with USB 3.0 and 3.1 ports even videos can be delivered, meaning that in the future PCs and laptops won’t need VGA cables or even HDMI ones.

WHAT IS USB TYPE-C?

So far, we have mentioned that most of the focus on improvement of USB technology revolved around the data transfer speed. With USB Type-C, that is not the case. USB Type-C is just a different type of connector.

If it helps to understand this better, think about USB Micro or USB Mini, which are only different USB connectors. This new type of USB was published in 2014. Yet only in the last year have some devices that contain this type of connection been manufactured and Apple released a 12-inch Macbook where Type-C was used even to provide power to the device and not only for data transfer.

One of the greatest advantages of using USB Type-C is that it is much thinner and pretty flat compared to the previous connectors such as Type-A, Type-B or Micro and Mini USB. And since the manufactures of laptops and smartphones are aiming at creating thinner devices they welcomed the invention of this connector positively.

However, this is not the only reason."One cable to rule them all" that was the intention of USB-C. And 2020 will be the year in which the cable fulfils that ambition. Because it transmits power, image signal and data: three for the price of one.

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