The USB 3.0 Promoter Group, the collective who develops the standard, has announced that USB 3.2 will introduce “multi-lane operation.” What does this mean? Data transfer over USB-C will be twice as quick, assuming you have a compatible device and cable…
As it often happens with new technologies — especially the ones that aim to replace fundamental, widely used parts of our digital devices — the early implementations are often challenged by a series of missteps and various other problems.
The latest concrete example of this is the promising-yet-troubled USB-C, which led to a few controversies as of late. However, it seems, with its latest G5 flagship, LG may be one of the few manufacturers that got it right (via gtrusted)…
A common trend among flagship devices this year has been the introduction of USB-C, a new standard that allows a single port to convey functions such as charging and data transfer with higher speeds and power capacities, all while being conveniently reversible.
Samsung, however, has uncharacteristically remained out of the conversation — either to avoid controversy or not to cause compatibility issues with its Gear VR — and brought the Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) to the market with an “old” microUSB connector. The Galaxy Note 6, SamMobile reports, is however looking like it’ll change things…
You may remember the name Benson Leung from when the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X launched at the end of 2015. At the time, he set out to review as many Type C chargers and adapters available on Amazon to separate the true Type C compliant accessories from the non-compliant, helping buyers avoid purchasing products that might damage their new Nexus phone (or Pixel C).
Following his most recent review (via AP), the Google engineer has pointed to a previous Type C spec explainer to suggest that both the HTC 10 and LG G5 are out of spec.
Following the launch of the Type-C equipped Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Pixel C devices, Google engineer Benson Leung set out to save us from all the dodgy non-compliant cables and adapters available on Amazon. Without the correct technical compliance, a Type-C adapter could charge a device too slowly, or at worst, ruin the product. Following Leung’s extensive testing, Amazon has now prohibited the sale of non-compliant accessories.
Very quickly, USB Type-C has this year become a part of every phone’s spec sheet. Either a new phone has USB Type-C, or it doesn’t. And it’s already being seen as a pro (or a con) when comparing phones against each other. Before the introduction of USB-C, pretty much every handset was assumed to have the previous connector, microUSB. And pretty much every phone did. Now, that’s changing.
With the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, and the OnePlus 2 before that, Android smartphones have recently begun adopting the new standard en masse, and as far as we know, many of the phones set to be announced in the coming months — including the HTC One M10 and the LG G5 — are going to make the jump. For me, supporting USB Type-C is absolutely a requirement for my next phone. Here’s why…
Update: Leung has resumed testing with a repaired test device, but for now can only weed out bad cables for now as he still doesn’t have a working Chromebook.
Google engineer Benson Leung was doing a great job at distinguishing the good, the bad and the ugly where USB Type-C cables are concerned, exposing ones that failed to meet the proper specs as well as others that were just plain dangerous.
Unfortunately his testing has now come to an abrupt end as one particularly bad cable resulted in significant damage to both his Chromebook Pixel and the USB PD sniffer devices he was using …
Choetech via Amazon offers its 6.6-ft USB 2.0 Type A to Type C cable for $8.99, but when you use the code L3JGFC9V the price drops down to $6.99. Similarly, the company offers its 9.9-ft USB 2.0 Type A to Type C cable for $9.99, but when you use the code WTZ35GDZ the price drops down to $7.99. Both of these deals are $2 off the regular sale prices and the lowest we’ve seen them sold for at Amazon…
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Update: There are now some even better prices available. You can grab the 6ft cable at $9 Prime shipped w/ code BUE2SL39, the 1ft cable at $8 Prime shipped w/ code OZIWJRGS, and the 10ft variant at just $10 Prime shipped w/ code OYDTW5TH.
If you’re on the lookout for some USB Type-C cables for your new Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X (or perhaps even a Chromebook Pixel or a 12-inch MacBook), this is a good opportunity to grab some at a great price. Amazon offers the iOrange-E USB Type-C 6.6 ft braided cable for just $10 Prime shipped w/ code NSUFTGQ3, and the same cable in its 10ft variant for $15 Prime shipped w/ code IBXAME3M. These are the lowest prices we’ve seen…
Recently we brought you news that a Google engineer named Benson Leung was testing a bunch of USB Type-C cables and reviewing them on Amazon, so that you didn’t have to and risk ruining your brand new Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P or Chromebook Pixel. Just yesterday, Leung specifically called out OnePlus on his public G+ profile to shame the company on its use of outdated tech which isn’t just old, but could end up damaging people’s devices. In short: If you have a Nexus 6P, 5X or Chromebook Pixel, you couldn’t buy any of OnePlus’ Type C connectors to charge or connect them…
A Google engineer by the name of Benson Leung is one of the many proponents of USB Type-C at the Mountain View company, and he’s now doing us the kind service of reviewing dozens of third-party Type-C cables on Amazon. Why? Because some of the cables coming from a variety of manufacturers could be “dangerous,” according to Leung, and are likely less-than-functional…
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In a rumor that’s no surprise to anyone, SamMobile‘s sources have told the publication that the next Samsung Galaxy flagship will have a USB Type-C port. In this case, I think we’d be more surprised if the next Samsung didn’t feature a Type-C connector. Sammy is regularly quick to jump onboard and adopt new technologies, and whether it’s NFC, fingerprint sensors, wireless charging or Quick-Charge compatibility, the Korean tech giant has historically been among the earliest to show off their potential.,,
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OnePlus sparked conversation, controversy and frustration last year when its sought-after debut smartphone launched. Its invite system meant you could only get hold of a OnePlus One if you received an invitation to buy one. With the OnePlus 2 — due to be announced in 11 days — the company will still have an invite system in place, but promises that it is “new and improved”.
Marques Brownlee, better known as YouTube personality MKBHD, uploaded what we believe is the first public photograph taken with the OnePlus 2. OnePlus hasn’t been shy about leaking features and specs from its next “flagship killer”. And while we know it’s going to feature a USB Type-C port, a fingerprint sensor, 3,300mAh battery and 4GB RAM, we haven’t heard any specifics from OnePlus officially on the display or camera resolution.
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Update: Images of the company’s USB-C cable have now been leaked online by the company itself…
Here comes the next little detail about the OnePlus 2. According to a tweet this afternoon from OnePlus, the company’s upcoming OnePlus 2 flagship phone will be one of the first — if not the first — to sport a USB Type-C port.
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Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke’s presentation on Android M yesterday saw quite a few huge new additions coming to the OS from granular app permissions to improved battery standby management and, of course, Android Pay (check out our roundup). But one thing that might have got lost in the noise for some of you was Google’s newfound embrace of the USB Type-C standard and what it will actually do for you in practice.
USB Type-C is both flippable and bi-directional. That first attribute means that you won’t have to fiddle in the dark with plugging the USB cable connector into your phone the right-side up, because there isn’t a right-side up with Type-C.
More interesting, though, is the bi-directional ability of USB Type-C and Android M’s new interface support for it. What this means in theory is that, while this wouldn’t be practical, you could connect your Android phone to your laptop and charge your laptop with your phone instead of the other way around. You can also send files in either direction as was obviously possible before, but the new interface you see above for managing all these abilities in one place looks quite convenient.
Finally as you might be able to make out from the image above, Google is ready to welcome in more musicians with the warm embrace of MIDI support. This is big because while because 5.0 Lollipop brought support for some audio devices like USB microphones and amplifiers, it left out a lot of musical instruments that use the MIDI standard to send data back and forth between other devices. Maybe this will encourage more musicians and music app developers to consider Android again.
Following an announcement back in December and some renders that popped up a few months back, today the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced the next-generation USB “Type-C” connector is now ready for production. That means that PC and smartphone manufacturers can now adopt the standard, which the Promoter Group describes as “the final piece in developing a single-cable solution” for the industry.
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Back in December, the the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced that a next-generation of USB connectors was under development. The new standard, dubbed “USB Type-C,” introduces a new design, a smaller overall footprint, and usability enhancements such as a symmetrical, reversible connector that doesn’t require users to worry about orientation when plugging in (much like with Apple’s Lightning connector.) It will also allow manufacturers to create thinner and sleeker product designs and scale for future USB performance standards with a transfer speed up to 10Gbps. Today we get our first look at what the cable and connectors will actually look like with a rendering courtesy of Foxconn (via TheVerge).
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