What are the advantages of the USB-C port over other ports and why are most electronic products equipped with this port over time?
USB-C has become popular and widely used in the technology world only a few years after its birth. Today, most manufacturers of phones and other electronic products use this connector in their products. USB-C is not only a connector for better charging of devices, and users also use it to connect various accessories.
Almost all of today’s popular and important electronic devices are equipped with a USB port; From desktop systems to phones and external hard drives and laptops and many other products. USB-C is currently recognized as a global standard.
The latest update to the evolving USB standard was introduced in 2019, named USB4. Before USB4, we saw the unveiling of USB 3.1 in 2013; In the same year, the new connector, namely USB Type-C or USB-C, came to the world of technology; A connector that over time became the standard of most electronic devices.
Familiarity with USB standards
Most users have many problems in identifying and understanding the difference between USB standards. Of course, the recent names of the USB Implementation Association or USB-IF have not been ineffective in obscuring the situation.
Simply put, what we hear today as USB 3.0, USB 3.1, and USB 3.2 are all multiple versions of USB 3.2. The USB-IF Association claims to move towards reducing naming ambiguity; But many users may still not understand the difference between these standards.
USB-C is not a new standard
As the first point about USB-C, you should know that this connector is not a new standard like USB1.1, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. These standards focus on connectivity capabilities in terms of speed and other things; While USB-C only deals with the details of the connector and falls into the same category as microUSB and miniUSB.
The main difference between USB-C and the aforementioned two ports is its purpose to replace and change both sides of the connection cables, which we will discuss in the next sections.
During the development and expansion of the use of USB-C, one news had the most positive effect; Thunderbolt 3’s use of this port was an important news that Intel announced in 2015. The company announced at that time that it will use USB-C for its connection port in the latest version.
Intel’s new approach had its own difficulties. Thunderbolt 3 requires circuitry inside the cable itself for better performance; As a result, it was difficult to implement with USB-C. However, today the Thunderbolt 3 standard also uses the USB-C port.
USB 2.0
The second version of the standard was introduced in April 2000 and had a significant improvement in the maximum data transfer speed. The maximum speed in USB 2.0 reached 480 Mbps. In addition, the supportable current was stated in this standard as 1.8 amps at 2.5 volts.
USB 3.0
The third functional version of the USB standard was accompanied by major changes. New types of connectors were introduced to the market with this standard, which offered higher speed and current. In addition, blue color was added to the new connectors as a means of distinguishing more speed and power compared to previous generations.
USB-A
The USB-A connection is the traditional version of USB that most of us are familiar with; The square design that somehow took over the role of the revolutionary port in the world of technology and is still recognized as the main standard on the host port side of the connection.
Docking with USB-C
USB-C support for various connection protocols such as HDMI and DisplayPort eliminates the need for multiple ports in personal computers and other devices. Such an approach will be most suitable for slim laptops, and with one USB-C port, multiple devices can be connected to the computer.
In addition, the device is connected to various application docks using the same port. For example, the dock can be used as a laptop charging station and act as an interface for connecting to multiple HDMI displays, a keyboard and mouse, and a Gigabit Ethernet connection.
USB-C problems
USB-C connection, despite all its advantages, still has many problems until the final implementation and use by the whole community. Some experts believe that the current products do not have the ability to meet the needs of all users in the claimed areas. They raise countless problems, the most important of which is the interference of standards. In the following, we briefly mention some of the limitations and problems of USB-C
The future of USB-C connectivity
The basic idea of USB-C, that is, one port and one cable for use in multiple devices, seems valuable and practical; However, the limitations mentioned in this article and the numerous problems of users have always been troublesome.
In addition to users, manufacturers of all kinds of electronic devices are also facing many problems in the production of devices. Supporting all of USB-C’s multiple capabilities is a complex engineering project. In addition, increasing the number of parts in the connection port and cables also increases the costs of construction and implementation.
Experts believe that the manufacturers of the electronics industry and the USB standards association should take a more efficient approach to move USB-C out of the status quo. They should steer the current path more towards user convenience. One of the simplest solutions is to mention more clearly the product specifications and even better naming so that the user has more knowledge in purchasing and their expectations.
Solutions such as coloring cables and ports, like the approach done in USB 3.0, will be another simple and practical solution; Of course, such methods interfere with the main purpose of USB-C, which is to design it for a variety of applications.
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