RIP USB: Ports and Connectors to Take Care of in 2017

We hate to tell you about this, but the traditional USB ports you’ve used to connect cameras, controllers, and other devices for the past 20 years are short-lived for this world. The whole team is being replaced by several great alternatives, although each has its own pros and cons. If you’re thinking about upgrading your devices this year, here are the ports you need to become familiar with in order to keep up with today’s technology.

USB-C

USB-C is a smaller, reversible version of the traditional USB port. Its connector is symmetrical, so you no longer have to guess which end is up. Just put it in.

Unlike Lightning ports, which are exclusive to Apple iOS devices and Mac accessories, USB-C can be found on both mobile devices such as Android smartphones and laptops, and host devices such as desktops, monitors, and external drives. … In short, he is ready to become a new way of connecting everything with everything else.

On smartphones, USB-C replaces the Micro-USB connector found at the bottom of the device. Some USB-C dongles are compatible with smartphones equipped with USB-C, which means you can plug a USB-C dongle into your Google Pixel and connect accessories like an external drive or Ethernet cable to it.

USB-C is pretty new right now, but not quite ubiquitous. Sure, your new MacBook and latest Android phone has it, but just recently Microsoft decided to leave the future of connectivity to its newest laptop, claiming its port selection suits most users.

Companies like Microsoft are avoiding the inevitable future by deciding to keep the port on their latest laptop for fear of providing users with a new port standard without a proper ecosystem.

Flaws

Detractors like Microsoft are right. Many USB-C devices are of questionable quality, and manufacturers make dongles and cables that are too promising or undervalued and might even fry your device if you try to save a few bucks. When looking for quality cables or adapters, it is profitable to buy from reputable companies such as Belkin, Apple, or Anker, and you should be more careful when looking for USB-C hubs.

USB-C is fairly new, so buying USB-C hardware may cause compatibility issues with your current setup. You’ll need adapters to connect traditional USB-A devices like your phone’s charging cable, or you’ll have to buy an expensive docking station so your old electronics can still talk to your new device.

Thunderbolt 3

Think of Thunderbolt 3 like USB-C on steroids. Thunderbolt 2 used a Mini DisplayPort connection, but has since moved to a reversible USB-C connector. In addition to supporting the USB-C protocol, so any Thunderbolt 3 cable can serve as a USB-C cable, it can transfer much more data, and supports many other transfer protocols. You’ll find Thunderbolt 3 ports on a variety of devices, such as the latest Apple MacBook Pro laptops, Windows laptops like the ASUS Predator, professional-grade monitors, and high-performance storage devices.

In addition to USB-C support, Thunderbolt 3 supports PCI Express protocols for using external graphics cards, DisplayPort for controlling multiple 4K monitors or one 5K monitor, and Thunderbolt for daisy-chained devices and offers transfer rates up to 20Gbps, double the speed. … USB-C.

Thunderbolt 3 can provide everything from power, fast file transfer, internet connectivity and external displays at the same time, making one port multi-functional. Its daisy chain support means you can link multiple devices together using Thunderbolt 3 cables and connect them to your computer through a single port. For example, a single Thunderbolt 3 port can handle an external hard drive connected to two external monitors.

Flaws

While the move from DisplayPort to USB-C was a good move, you’ll need an adapter to use older Thunderbolt devices with the new standard.

Since it can handle many protocols in addition to USB, Thunderbolt 3 hardware is more expensive than the rest. Even its connectors are more expensive than the competition. On Amazon, a 3m cable will set you back more than $ 20, while the same USB-C cable costs about $ 16.

If you want all the benefits of a Thunderbolt 3 connection, you’ll need the right cable. USB-C cables work with Thunderbolt 3 ports, but they cannot use other transfer protocols and turn a Thunderbolt 3 port into your middle USB-C port.

Lightning

Apple’s reversible Lightning connector is an extension of the 30-pin connector found on mobile devices from iPods to iPhone 4s and fourth-generation iPads.

You’ve no doubt seen it on iPhones and iPads, but some other Apple devices have it as well. Apple’s proprietary wireless keyboard and mouse uses the port for both charging and connecting to a computer. The Apple Pencil also has a male Lightning port for charging and requires an Apple-provided Lightning-to-Lightning adapter. You can purchase Lightning cables with USB-A or USB-C ends so you can charge your iOS devices with any port you like. Lightning has some cool tricks like a built-in digital audio converter to power the headphones for better sound quality and the ability to charge accessories.

Flaws

Since Lightning is Apple’s proprietary connector, you won’t find it on other devices (other than Apple accessories). Even some devices, such as iPhone battery cases, require a different connector to charge. In a future where USB-C is all over the place, Apple’s reluctance to adopt a standard for its mobile devices will mean you still have to carry around a separate charging cable for your iOS device instead of the reversible USB-C cable you can use anywhere.

Devices with Lightning connectors, such as Apple headphones, will only work with iOS devices that support Lightning. When our managing editor tried to connect her standard Lightning headphones to her MacBook Pro, we found it was impossible without an adapter, an adapter that doesn’t currently exist.

What about my Micro-USB / Mini-HDMI / USB-B / etc ports?

Undoubtedly, you have devices that don’t have a USB-C or Thunderbolt port, and you’re sure to get a few more in the near future. Devices like digital cameras still have Micro-USB ports, printers have thick USB-B ports, and I still have a normal TV with multiple HDMI ports on the back.

They cannot be ignored, but can be bypassed. There are USB-C cables on the end with connectors like Micro-USB or HDMI, so your old technology can work with your new devices after replacing the cable. Belkin makes a USB-C to USB-B cable for connecting new devices to older printers, and Apple’s own USB-C hub supports USB-A, HDMI and another USB-C charging cable. You can also buy small USB-C to USB-A adapters , which will also give your traditional connectors an extra life until you decide to give them up forever. In short, your old devices will continue to work with your new ones, but be prepared for the day when all ports become one.

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