What’s the difference between a normal USB and a USB Type C connector
All of a sudden, USB Type C connectors or USB-C as they’re now being called, are being championed as a one-size-fits-all solution for charging and transferring data between devices. The question is though, is USB-C really any better than we’ve been using before? We’re going to look at some of its key features compared to the standard USB-A port.
The reversible new shape
The USB-A has a much larger physical connector than the Type C, Type C is around the same size as a micro-USB connector. Unlike, Type A, you won’t need to try and insert it, flip it over and then flip it over once more just to find the right orientation when trying to make a connection. The beauty of Type C is that it can be inserted any way up as the connector pins are the same on either side.
Supporting the new standard
The USB-C connector supports various exciting new USB standards like USB 3.1 – which allows extremely fast data transfers of up to 10 Gbps – and USB PD, which enables power delivery.
Even faster charging
Currently, a standard USB 2.0 connection offers up to 2.5W of power (which is just about enough to charge your phone at a snail’s pace), while the USB PD standard supported by USB-C can deliver a massive 100W of power, which is more than enough to charge a laptop. It’s bidirectional, which means connected devices can both send and receive power – at the same time, to top it all off.
Space-saving
It’s safe to say that the days of devices having a large number of different connector ports are long gone. USB-C ports can support a variety of different protocols using “alternate modes,” which allows you to have adapters that can output other types of connections from the USB port. Now, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, headphone and power ports can be streamlined into a single type of port, helping devices to become slimmer than ever before.
Interoperability
The USB-C won’t be one of those obscure connectors that are exclusive to one company’s devices alone. More than 700 technology companies collaborated on the design and adoption of this new connector, including big names like Apple, Google, Dell, HP, Intel, Microsoft, and Samsung. We can expect the USB-C to become a common feature in new electronic devices being released over the next year or so.
Backward compatible
Even though you can’t physically connect a USB-C connector to a Type-A port, you can use a physical adaptor to plug older devices into a USB-C port. However, the underlying standard is backwards-compatible, meaning a USB 3.0 standard connector can be used with a USB 2.0 port, although it will only work at the speed and capability of the older standard, in this case, the USB 2.0 standard.
It’s clear that USB-C is the new emerging standard for power and data, and will become ubiquitous across the majority of devices. It will also give rise to a range of adaptors for other types of connectors as devices become slimmer and increasingly simpler when it comes to power and data ports.