It is more difficult to figure out what a cable can do with different standards and charging technologies. When shopping, there are a few things to know.
The Universal Serial Bus standard dates to 1996 but has seen many new standards in the years since. We try to highlight what is important.
USB-C is becoming a standard connection type, but you need cables that fit your devices. Today, that could mean anything from Microusb to Lightning. It is important to remember that the capabilities of any cable are limited.
The data transfer speed is always in megabits per second or.. A cable should be able to reach the standard speed.
- USB 2.0 supports 480 Mbps
- USB 3.0 supports 5 Gbps
- USB 3.1 supports 10 Gbps
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports 5 Gbps
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports 10 Gbps
- USB 3.2 Gen 3 supports 20 Gbps
- USB 4.0 supports 40 Gbps
While cable manufacturers always list the maximum charging rate, it's important to know what standards your device supports in order to combine your cable with the correct power accessory. Watts is the location where the charging rate of a cable is calculated. There are sometimes specifications on the cable. If there is no W listed, you can use the voltage and current as a reference.
There are only 12 wattusb-a ports The limit on the amount of power that can be put into theusb-c ports used to be 100 watt. 18 watt is the amount of power delivered to a phone by theusb-c Apple's ports can be used with both cables.
The interface is still certified by Intel, but it is now open for royalty-free use. Data transfer speeds can be up to 40 Gbps and 100 watt of power can be delivered using thePD standard. There are improvements related to the video signal in Thunderbolt 4. It is compatible with previous standards. Over the next few weeks, we'll be testing the two cables.
The Power Delivery standard is very close to a common standard. Some manufacturers have proprietary charging standards. The Quick Charge standard was the most popular for phones for a long time. There is a variant of the standard called the Programmable Power Supply. Real-time adjustments can be made to maximize efficiency and charge phones with a range of up to 45W instead of 18W.
Different types of cable certification are available. When a cable is certified it usually means that it was independently tested. It gives you peace of mind that your cable will perform as the manufacturer says it will. Many cable manufacturers don't use certification because it can be expensive, but that doesn't mean their cables are bad. There is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of theusb technology It is run by members such as Apple, Microsoft, and HP. The cable has been tested to make sure it complies with the standards. Apple has a certification for its lightning cables.