Type-C interface has taken over the market, so we no longer have to look for loose wires all over the house?

Editor: Sunny Morning

Recently, the European Union announced that USB-C will become the universal standard for electronic devices in the EU from 2024. USB-C will serve as a universal port in the EU , allowing consumers to use any USB-C charger to charge any brand of device. The "universal charging" requirement will apply to all handheld mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, portable speakers, handheld electronic game consoles, e-readers, earbuds, keyboards, mice and portable navigation systems. By 2026, these requirements will also apply to laptops.

This major change means that all digital devices will use a standard charger, and Apple's "Lightning interface" will become history. In the future, "we no longer have to look around the house for charging cables." It also reduces electronic waste, which is both low-carbon and environmentally friendly.

Think about it, more than ten years ago, there were more than 30 types of charging ports on the market, but there were probably five most common and most used ones.

Round plug interface : It is an early mobile phone charging interface. Round plugs come in large and small sizes. Its biggest advantage is that it has no directionality and you don’t have to worry about plugging it in wrongly. It can be plugged in and out at will. Its disadvantages are also obvious. It has a single function and can only charge but not transmit data, and the interface is easy to loosen.

Old wide and flat interface . Samsung and Apple used this type of wide and flat interface in the early days. This type of interface has a slow transmission speed, is large and inconvenient to carry, and has poor compatibility and openness, so it has gradually been eliminated.

Mini USB interface . This interface is also called mini USB. It is T-shaped, small in size, and has excellent anti-misinsertion performance. Although many mobile phones no longer use it, some mobile hard drives, digital cameras, elderly phones, mobile POS machines, and PSP game consoles still use it.

Micro USB interface . Micro USB interface is the next generation specification of Mini USB, which is a portable version of USB2.0 standard, compatible with USB1.1 and USB2.0. It is smaller than Mini USB, has faster transmission speed, and has a plug-in life and strength of up to 10,000 times, but it can only be inserted on one side.

Lightning interface . This interface has always been used by Apple devices. This interface is small and supports both forward and reverse insertion, which is very convenient. Although it is a USB2.0 standard, the actual experience and performance are still quite good.

I believe many people have used the above 5 interfaces. So, what are the advantages of USB Type-C, the "king" in the field of wired connection?

USB Type-C is a USB interface standard that is smaller than Type-A and Type-B. It can be used in both PCs (host devices) and external devices (slave devices, such as mobile phones). It can provide two-way data transmission and power supply. The interfaces at both ends of the cable are not only thin and light, but also can be used at both ends without distinction. It can be seen that achieving the "unification" of interfaces has been the mission of USB-C since its birth .

However, some netizens have raised such doubts: fast charging protocols are incompatible with each other and are still useless . This netizen expressed the voice of many people, so the EU also made clear provisions in the "universal charging" requirements:

◆ Electronic devices use a unified USB-C charging port : Users can use any USB-C charger to charge their devices without being restricted by brand.

◆ Unified fast charging technology : Helps prevent different manufacturers from unreasonably limiting charging speeds and ensures the same charging speed when using any compatible device's charger.

◆ Separate the sale of chargers from electronic devices : Consumers will be able to buy new electronic devices without a new charger. This will limit the number of chargers on the market or unused.

◆ Provide consumers with better visual and written information : Manufacturers will need to provide relevant visual and written information about charging characteristics, including the power source required by the device, whether it supports fast charging, etc.

In the future, we will no longer have to spend extra money to buy charging equipment when we buy digital products, and we will no longer have to worry about not being able to find charging cables. One charging cable can charge any digital device. Of course, with the upgrading of digital devices, fast charging technology is also constantly being updated, and a charging cable still needs to be replaced after being used for a long time. Merchants will also take this into consideration, so the editor believes that charging cables that adapt to different voltages and currents are likely to be the future research direction, and then perhaps "a single cable will be passed down forever."

Reference sources: Daily Economic News, Science Popularization China·Science Encyclopedia, International Electronic Business Information Network, ZEALER Network, etc.