Types of USB Ports and Connectors

On computers, tablets and peripherals you will typically find at least one of these three different types of USB ports.

 On newer devices, USB‐C is preferred for its small size, fast data transfer rate and ability to carry up to 100W of power. USB‐C cables can also carry high‐resolution 4K and 8K video. Lightning is similar in function to USB‐C but uses a different connector.

Below are the types of USBs

USB Type-A

The standard, universal connector found on virtually every desktop PC and older laptops, as well as TVs, game consoles and media players. Although USB 3.0 Type-A (blue) connectors have more internal pins, the form factor is the same, so it can operate in any Type-A port, even USB 1.1. Data transfer, however, will be at the speed of the older generation.

USB Type-B

Most commonly used to connect printers and external hard drives to desktop computers, the Type-B port actually has two different configurations. One is specific to USB 1.1 and 2.0 speed protocols, while the other is for use with the USB 3.0 and later spec.

USB Mini-B

The Mini-B connection is most often used by portable electronics such as digital cameras, MP3 players and some cell phones, and only with USB 1.1 and 2.0 speeds. There are both four-pin and five-pin versions of the Mini-B connector.

USB Micro-B

The Micro-B connector has one configuration for USB 2.0 and a different configuration for USB 3.0 and later. The Micro-B connector is found on many popular models of Android™ smartphones and external hard drives.

USB Type-C

Developed to support devices with a smaller, thinner and lighter form factor. Type-C is slim enough for a smartphone or tablet, yet robust enough for a laptop computer. In fact, many new laptops have eliminated USB-A and RJ45 Ethernet ports and offer USB-C as the only port for video, network, data transfer and charging. This has prompted other protocols, including Thunderbolt™ 3, DisplayPort, MHL, and HDMI, to adopt USB-C as their standard source connector.

Alternate Modes allow the data pins on a USB Type-C connector to carry other types of signals. For example, DisplayPort Alt Mode (also referred to as DP Alt Mode) allows a USB-C cable to connect a DP-enabled laptop or tablet directly to a TV or computer monitor with a USB-C port.