#Usb micro portable#

Need a new cable and aren't sure what to get? Here are recommendations for every type. If you often need to use your device far away from the outlet while it's charging, a six-foot cable will usually do. They're also usually long enough to reach from an outlet to a desk. This allows you to keep your phone in your hand while connected to a battery in your bag or pocket. Three feet is a good minimum length for a charging cable. On the other hand, a cable that's too long can be inconvenient to carry, will tangle more easily, and is potentially a tripping hazard. Short cables are great for portability, but that can leave you sitting on the floor next to a power outlet as your phone charges. It's a small difference in price, but it's worth it.Īnother important aspect is cable length.

While you don't have to buy a cable from your phone's manufacturer, you should stick to recognized brands. It will become the norm over the next several years, just like it took USB 3 a while to catch on. USB 4.0 is the newest standard, but at the time of writing it's not generally available.Most new computers have at least one USB 3 port, and high-quality flash drives use this standard. Some USB 3.0 ports also have an SS symbol (which stands for Super Speed). You can typically identify a USB 3.x port or connector by its blue coloring. It's much faster than USB 2.0, and thus recommended for devices like external hard drives. USB 3.x is the current standard for USB speeds.Most computers still include a few USB 2.0 ports. You'll find it used on cheap flash drives, devices like mice and keyboards, and similar. It's the slowest speed of USB still used today. USB 2.0 introduced many modern USB norms, including support for Mini and Micro cables, USB OTG (see below), and more.You're very unlikely to find devices using this standard nowadays.

USB 1.x was the original standard, and is ancient by modern benchmarks.

The cable's connector doesn't necessarily mean that it uses a certain standard. USB connection types are only half the story, as USB has also gone through multiple standards of varying data transfer speeds. While you'll still find micro-USB on some smartphones, tablets, USB battery packs, and game controllers, many have moved onto USB-C.

#Usb micro portable#

Micro-USB: Another past standard, slowly declining in popularity, for mobile and portable devices.These include cameras, the PlayStation 3 controller, MP3 players, and similar. While not that common today, you'll still see these on some devices, which are mostly from Sony. Mini-USB: A smaller connector type that was standard for mobile devices a while back.

They're not very common these days, as most devices have moved onto a smaller connection.

Type-B: An almost-square connector, mostly used for printers and other powered devices that connect to a computer.

You'll find them on game consoles, TVs, and other devices too. Most computers have multiple USB-A ports for connecting peripherals.

Type-A: The standard flat, rectangular interface that you find on one end of nearly every USB cable.

Here are the six most common types of USB cables and connectors: Why is this? As it turns out, they each serve different functions, mainly to preserve compatibility and support new devices. USB is supposedly universal, but there are so many different types of USB cables and connections.