What's so good about USB Type-C?
If you've bought a new smartphone recently from the likes of LG, Huawei, Nexus, or HTC - you'll have noticed its charging port is a different shape. This is called USB Type-C, which replaces the longstanding and more well known, micro-USB.
To put it simply, USB Type-C is a new type of cable. It’s an evolution of the USB cables and ports your see on your computer, laptop and smartphone, and it’s set to make technology much simpler. One big bonus being that USB Type-C is totally symmetrical.
This means you'll never have to turn your cable over and over again, in an attempt to make it slot in.
It’s not just about convenience
The new port is much smaller than a standard USB, so you won’t need a micro version for phones and tablets. That means your USB Type-C cables and memory sticks will work on all your devices. It also means laptops can get much thinner.
USB Type-C is also more powerful than your standard USB. You’ve probably charged your phone, slowly, through a USB port before, but USB Type-C can carry enough power to charge a laptop. That means you could use the same charger for your phone and computer, and would need one less port on your laptop. That extra speed carries over to transferring data too, so when you want to put music or photos onto your phone from your computer, it’ll go much faster.