Though USB power has gone from less than 1 amp of current (1 A) in its earliest incarnations to more than 2 A today, devices have maxed out the data and power capabilities of these connectors.ĭepending on the devices at each end of the cable, each connector is capable of some combination of one of multiple standard power levels and one of multiple data standards. Plug in a USB cable, and the other end of the cable connects to a target device using one of a handful of connectors, generally either USB-B (common on big, stationary devices such as printers), Mini-USB (a smaller size common on older cameras and hard drives), or Micro-USB (even smaller, and found on everything from phones to tablets to battery packs). The rectangular port that’s been on all but a few computers this century is technically called a USB-A port-it’s supposed to appear only on source devices such as computers and chargers. But if you already have a phone or tablet that can take advantage of USB-C, USB Power Delivery, or Quick Charge, you should make sure to buy the right accessories to get the most out of that gear.įrom left to right, the most common USB connections (and their uses): Mini-USB (older cameras and hard drives), USB 3.0 Type-B (desktop hard drives), USB-C (future devices), Micro-USB (all manner of current mobile devices), USB-A (source port on computers and chargers).įirst we need to talk about the connectors and ports you can find on devices. The availability of new, faster-charging devices is limited right now, and because the implementation and compatibility among manufacturers is still a mess, you won’t always get the promised benefits. The promise of faster charging may be enticing, but we don’t think most people should toss out-ahem, we mean recycle-their current devices and accessories quite yet. Fortunately, a new generation of connectors (USB-C) and a fresh mélange of fast-charging standards (including USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge) have arrived to charge those devices’ larger batteries much faster than before. But the connectors and speeds people have gotten used to-USB-A, Mini-USB, Micro-USB, USB 2.0-have gotten a bit long in the tooth, as the original port and cable designs weren’t built to handle the power-hungry, fast-data devices everyone has come to rely on. It’s been over 15 years since the modest USB port first became a fixture on computers around the world, initially as a way to connect basic peripherals and then as a standard for faster data transfer.
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