(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Landing on a single standard to rule them all is an elusive aim in the realm of personal technology. At best, you end up in a format war, and one faction emerges victorious for a few years until an entirely new technology takes it out. VHS ate Betamax, then was ousted by DVD, which faded in the face of Blu-ray, itself now virtually extinct following the rise of online streaming services.
But USB-C is different—and perhaps it's even approaching the truly universal status its acronym (Universal Serial Bus) has long suggested. USB-C ports are now found on all manner of devices, from simple external hard drives to high-end laptops and, after a long holdout, even the Apple iPhone. While every USB-C port looks the same, not every one offers the same capabilities. USB-C may now be ubiquitous, but it doesn't serve the same functions everywhere. Not by a long shot.
Here's a guide to everything USB-C can do and which features to look for when buying your next device.
What Is USB-C?
USB-C is an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power on a single cable. The USB-C connector was developed by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), a group of companies that has developed, certified, and shepherded the USB standard over the years. The USB-IF counts more than 700 companies in its membership, among them Apple, Dell, HP, Intel, Microsoft, and Samsung.
This broad acceptance by the big dogs is important because it's part of why device manufacturers have so readily accepted USB-C. Contrast this with the earlier Apple Lightning connector, which had limited acceptance beyond Apple products, thanks in no small part to USB-C's rise. USB-C is so broadly accepted that several governments and governing bodies—including the European Union, India, and the State of California—actually require new devices to support it.
Is USB-C the Same as Micro USB?
No, they are not the same. At first glance, the USB-C connector looks similar to a micro USB connector. But if you look closer, you will see that USB-C is more oval in shape and slightly thicker to accommodate its best feature: flippability.
Like Lightning and MagSafe, the USB-C connector has no up or down orientation. Line up the connector properly, and you never have to flip it over to plug it in; the "right way" is always up. The standard cables also have the same connector on both ends, so you don't have to figure out which end goes where. That is not the case with all the other USB standards, including micro USB. They frequently have different connectors at each end.
USB-C: The Numbers Beneath the Port
Where USB-C gets tricky is in the numbers that get attached to the ports. The most common speed that USB-C connectors are rated for is 10Gbps. (That 10Gbps is theoretically twice as fast as the original USB 3.0.) USB-C ports that support this peak speed are called "USB 3.2 Gen 2" or "USB 3.2 Gen 2x1."
The minor wrinkle is that USB ports with 10Gbps speeds can also exist in the original, larger shape (the USB Type-A rectangles we all know). With the exception of some desktop computers, though, it's more common to see 10Gbps-speed USB ports with USB-C physical connectors.
Another wrinkle is that some older USB-C ports support just 5Gbps maximum speeds (called "USB 3.2 Gen 1"), so it's important to look for a "USB 3.2 Gen 2" or "10Gbps" designation to verify that a given USB-C port supports 10Gbps transfers. That said, all of these ports are backward-compatible, and they will work just fine at the speed of the slowest element.
Confused yet? Here's a handy decoder chart for the most common USB-C specs you'll see when buying a new device today...
As you can see above, some USB-C ports use the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 specification, with maximum speeds of 20Gbps. The USB-IF decided on "2x2" because this standard doubles the data lanes within a USB-C cable to achieve the 20Gbps transfer speed. These 20Gbps ports have not been universally available, though. They will likely go by the wayside in favor of another emerging flavor of USB-C port, supporting USB4, which the USB-IF has announced will eventually support data speeds up to 120Gbps, but currently tops out at 40Gbps in most cases.
The USB-IF has also encouraged device makers to refer to a port's top speed when publishing product specifications, as in "USB 20Gbps," de-emphasizing the "USB 3.X Gen X" number salad. We're in favor of that, too, but it doesn't always reduce confusion. For instance, Apple refers to the USB-C port on its iPhone 16 Pro as supporting USB 3 for "up to 20x faster transfers," which is still a pretty confusing way of saying that the phones support 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2) speed.
Can You Go From USB-C to DisplayPort?
You might think of your old USB Type-A port simply as a data port for connecting drives or peripherals like mice. But USB-C, depending on the specific port's implementation, can do much more. One of USB-C's most useful skills, when designed thus, is delivering enough power to charge the host device, such as a laptop or a smartphone. In fact, many lightweight laptops that have USB-C ports use them in place of a traditional barrel-style or proprietary connector as the only option for attaching an AC adapter.
USB-C's support for sending simultaneous video signals and power means that you might be able to connect to and power a native DisplayPort, MHL, or HDMI device, or connect to almost anything else, assuming you have the proper adapter and cables. (See below for more on adapters.) The USB-C spec even factors in audio transmissions over the interface, but so far it has not replaced the 3.5mm headphone jack on computers to the same degree as it has on phones and tablets.
Make sure to check the specs on any device you're thinking of buying, because not all USB-C ports are alike. So far, every one we've seen supports both data transfers and connected-device power delivery over USB-C (though not necessarily charging of the host device). But while the USB-C standard supports connecting DisplayPort and/or HDMI displays with an adapter (via the DisplayPort-over-USB protocol), not every device maker has connected the ports to the system's graphics hardware. Some USB-C ports on a device may support video-out connectivity, while others may not; or none may. And some devices add extra layers of security or other requirements to connect USB-C peripherals. Notable here are Macs, which require user approval before the accessory can communicate, starting with macOS 13 Ventura. Looking at the details is important.
Is Thunderbolt the Same as USB-C?
Perhaps the most useful protocol that a USB-C port can support is Thunderbolt, currently in its fifth generation. The Thunderbolt 5 interface contains two virtual pipes to send data from one device, and two more to receive it on the other device. Each pipe can handle up to 40Gbps, for a maximum of 80Gbps in each direction. In addition to the data pipes, Thunderbolt 5 also has the ability to transfer electrical current, similar to how USB-C cables work to charge devices. It can send up to 240 watts of power.
A USB-C port with support for Thunderbolt means that a single cable is all you need to push power and transfer a large amount of information (up to and including video data for two 60Hz 4K displays) to and from even a complex device like a computer, something many laptop manufacturers have been quick to take advantage of. Some of the latest models of Apple's M4-based MacBook Pro line boast three Thunderbolt 5 connectors, for example, which gives you more expansion potential than you ever had with earlier versions of USB.
Now, like with DisplayPort over USB-C, not every USB-C port you see necessarily has Thunderbolt support. (Far from it.) Check a device's spec sheet or documentation for the Thunderbolt details to be sure. Some devices may have more than one USB-C port, with only some supporting a Thunderbolt spec.
Adapters, Cables, and USB-C Hubs
USB-C is electrically compatible with older USB 3.0 ports. But because of the shape of the newer port, adapters or cables with appropriate plugs are indeed required if you want to connect anything that doesn't have the USB-C oval shape.
Sometimes, a new laptop will come with these; in other cases, you may have to purchase them separately. Apple, for instance, sells a variety of USB cables and adapters for connecting USB-C to other technologies such as Lightning or Ethernet. You can also find a variety of these for PCs if you browse online retailers. Some even support older or more esoteric protocols, to ensure a device you have from years ago will work on today's hardware. It's easy to find USB-C-to-DVI adapters, for example, but we've also come across some that split to two RS-232 serial connections.
The good news, though, is that if you invest in a couple of normal USB-C cables, they will work with anything and everything that supports USB-C, regardless of generation. Note, however, that that does not extend to Thunderbolt. Although it uses a USB-C physical connector, you'll need an appropriate Thunderbolt-specific cable to guarantee compatibility and full speed. This cable will have a USB-C connector at both ends but have a lightning-bolt symbol on each. It'll also be significantly pricier than a standard USB-C.
The Best USB-C Docking Stations
Plus, newer docks for PCs and docks for Macs have now widely integrated USB-C. Having only one USB-C port is not a problem: You can find USB-C docking solutions available, both from PC manufacturers like Dell and HP, and from third-party accessory makers like Belkin and OWC. These docks can recharge your laptop, give you access to extra ports (including Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0, and VGA), and add support for multiple monitors.
Do You Need USB-C?
The presence (or absence) of a USB-C port is increasingly becoming a consideration when buying a PC. If you buy an ultrathin laptop, it will almost certainly have at least one USB-C port, which will catapult you into the ecosystem automatically. If you're more of a lover of desktops, you're certain to find the ports there, too, with at least one on the motherboard-side I/O panel and likely more on high-end and gaming desktops. Most new desktops and almost all recent aftermarket PC cases are putting one on the front panel, too. (Desktop DIY types should know, though, that a USB-C port on a PC case's front or top requires a specific USB-C header connector at the motherboard end. Late-model motherboards will have these, but old boards won't.)
Even if you don't need USB-C now, you will before long. We're only scratching the surface of what USB-C can do, but one thing is certain: The latest generation of cross-platform connectors has replaced the old guard. USB-C has truly become the one port to rule them all.
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