You can often find a USB type-c interface on laptops, smartphones, televisions, or monitors. Those who have already experienced it have appreciated its main advantages: type-c is a symmetrical connector, eliminating the need to waste time searching for insertion direction. But this is not the only advantage of this connector.

In the past, if you want to upload photos, music, or other documents from your computer to your phone, you need to use a dedicated data cable for your phone. Although wireless technology has always been available, many of it used to be infrared ports, but later it was slightly better with Bluetooth. Even so, when transferring large files, the transmission speed of the data cable still has an absolute advantage. After the unified standard interface war, mini USB became the mainstream choice. It can be found in mobile phones, cameras, wireless headphones, and other devices. Compared to a regular USB, the mini USB is very compact.

Subsequently, by the way, there is another type that appears along with mini USB, which is micro USB. Mini USB is gradually being replaced by more compact micro USB, first and foremost because its size is still not small enough, which limits ultra-thin phones. Additionally, it lacks clear directional recognition, which has caused a lot of outrage. Even visually, it is easy to confuse both sides, and gradually there are fewer and fewer devices using this interface.

The appearance difference between mini USB and micro USB makes many people envy Apple products with symmetrical connectors, so the appearance of type-C in 2014 was ecstatic. By the way, Apple did not rank last in its development process, but actively participated in it.

The new interface is circular in shape, according to the USB 3.1 specification, with a bandwidth of up to 5Gb/s and a significant increase in maximum current, reaching 900mA. Compared to the 500mA current of the USB 2.0 standard, this value has almost doubled, making people ecstatic. Nowadays, smartphones connected to computers can also charge at a good speed. A current of 500 milliamperes is not enough to charge many smartphones, and some users have even noticed that phones connected through type-c have significantly faster charging speeds.

The progress of technological development has not stagnated, and new wireless technologies have quickly replaced slow micro USB, so many people now only consider data cables as charging cables. Even many of the wires sold on the market are only used for charging and cannot transmit data, making them very popular. Direct Wi Fi, DLNA, Cloud storage and other wireless data transmission have long replaced wired transmission. But even the most modern high-speed Wi Fi 6E cannot reach the speed of the first type-c. The record breaking speed of Wi Fi 6E is only attributed to channel aggregation, and in reality, making 4-8 or more antennas from one side of the transmitting device is not that difficult. However, placing more than 4 antenna circuits in a smartphone may cause problems.

The second version of type-c appears with USB 3.1Gen2 output, doubling the data transfer rate to up to 10Gb/s. If the device port supports Thunderbolt 3, the speed can reach 40Gb/s. In addition, the current also significantly increases: USB Power Delivery technology allows you to connect devices with up to 100 watts of power. This power is not only sufficient to charge smartphones, but also to power some laptops and other devices.

For example, Apple immediately took a liking to type-c and actively introduced these interfaces internally since 2015. Laptops have given up their usual USB, which has caused dissatisfaction among users. However, the advantage of type-c makes it possible to abandon other interfaces, such as HDMI and Display Port, which can now be connected to a universal high-speed interface.

The benefits of type-c are versatility and can be anticipated in the future. Type-C can already be used to replace the usual interface, and perhaps in the future, smartphones will only need this interface to connect everything, even wired headphones.

Speed. 10 Gb/s is sufficient for daily use, and supporting Thunderbolt 3 can even reach 40Gb/s. With the introduction of the USB 3.2 standard, these numbers may double. Even now, copying high-resolution videos takes a few minutes, not to mention that you can connect to a monitor through type-c instead of HDMI or Display Port to display images.

Fast charging. This specification stipulates that it can support up to 100W of power. Of course, in reality, manufacturers are more limited to 60 watts, but this current still comes from the realm of fantasy. It can not only quickly charge mobile phones, but also use ports as power sources for peripheral devices and laptops.

The most important advantage of type-c is the symmetrical connector. You don't need to recognize the direction to easily insert the device. This is particularly useful in situations of insufficient light or rush times. Now, not only do you not risk damaging device connectors, but you also don't have to worry about damaging other expensive devices.

The drawbacks of type-c, like everything else, also have its drawbacks. Simply mentioning its advantages and not mentioning its shortcomings would seem very unkind. The main drawback of type-c is its relatively fragile design. After dozens of connections, the connector began to noticeably loosen.

Low penetration rate. Although type-c was developed as a universal connector and is free to everyone, even now it is rare to find devices with it. It seems difficult for the world to abandon the familiar USB, and the familiar rectangular shape has been with us since 1994.

The high demand for cables also makes their costs higher. Of course, this is increasingly due to the requirements of USB Power Delivery technology, where the current sometimes exceeds the usual current, and the wires must have sufficient quality. In addition, many very affordable cables usually look like type-c, but not all pins are connected internally. We don't even need to talk about speed with this type of line, in fact, it's just USB 2.0.

The data transmission rate largely depends on the length of the cable. After experimental observation, cables with a length of no more than half a meter worked normally. The longer the time, the slower the speed. For example, a 2-meter long cable with Thunderbolt 3 ports can only provide half the expected speed. This is due to the cross-sectional area of the wires inside the cable - the thinner they are, the higher the signal attenuation and the stronger the voltage drop.