Do I need a USB-C to USB-C Cable ?

[Fif23]

Hi there !
I just bought a new Android USB smartphone, and it comes with a USB to USBC cable.
I have USBC on my motherboard, what is the difference connecting the phone to the regular usb port, vs with a USB-C to USB-C cable ? Any benefit or waste of 15 dollars ?
Phone is a Sony Xperia XZ Premium

 

[theFOoL]

There is no difference to my knowledge. Now if your phone came with a USB-C male to USB-C female (Which would be odd considering we're not in that Era *Yet) there might be transfer speed slight difference but that's it but again MBs don't carry USB C Ports *Yet at least not many do

 

[Durvelle27]

USB C has faster transfer speeds, faster charging, and other things

 

[theFOoL]

USB C has faster transfer speeds, faster charging, and other things

Yes but I think he's referring to If he needs a USB-C to USB-C cable which no he doesn't. Just a USB 3.0 cable to type C

Oops I miss read his post. Yes as the other said it's totally faster plus chargers Etc

 

[Caring1]

There is no difference to my knowledge. Now if your phone came with a USB-C male to USB-C female (Which would be odd considering we're not in that Era *Yet) there might be transfer speed slight difference but that's it but again MBs don't carry USB C Ports *Yet at least not many do

Did you just assume their gender?

 

[R-T-B]

Did you just assume their gender?

No one is arguing we need to concern ourselves with inanimate objects gender.

That said, you are all wrong. Except for the power capacity claims anyways, which your probably wrong about, but I haven't looked it up so I won't claim that. At any rate, USB-C is simply a connector type. It can carry a 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, or 3.1 signal and is not inherently faster or slower.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Hi there !
I just bought a new Android USB smartphone, and it comes with a USB to USBC cable.
I have USBC on my motherboard, what is the difference connecting the phone to the regular usb port, vs with a USB-C to USB-C cable ? Any benefit or waste of 15 dollars ?
Phone is a Sony Xperia XZ Premium

USB-A defaults to 0.5amp @ 5v while charging and has a maximum transfer speed of 5 Gbps.

USB-C can provide a lot more power (both voltage and amperage) when charging and has a maximum transfer speed of 10 Gbps. Beware that "a lot more power" also translates to "fire hazard" when using a low quality cable.

 

[Mussels]

Hi there !
I just bought a new Android USB smartphone, and it comes with a USB to USBC cable.
I have USBC on my motherboard, what is the difference connecting the phone to the regular usb port, vs with a USB-C to USB-C cable ? Any benefit or waste of 15 dollars ?
Phone is a Sony Xperia XZ Premium

for PC use: nothing

For use with the official charger: some phones like the Pixel line, only charge at full speed using C-C from the stock charger

 

[newtekie1]

For connecting your phone to your computer, no you do not need USB-C to USB-C, there is no benefit and it would just be wasted money.

USB-A defaults to 0.5amp @ 5v while charging and has a maximum transfer speed of 5 Gbps.

USB-C can provide a lot more power (both voltage and amperage) when charging and has a maximum transfer speed of 10 Gbps. Beware that "a lot more power" also translates to "fire hazard" when using a low quality cable.

USB 3.1 is 10Gb/s with USB-A. And USB-A also provies 1amp@5v for any USB 3.x port. The 0.5Amp was the USB 2.0 limit.

 

[Bill_Bright]

At any rate, USB-C is simply a connector type. It can carry a 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, or 3.1 signal and is not inherently faster or slower.

^^^^This^^^^^ Which means transfer speeds up to 10Gbps is NOT a function of USB-C.

And my favorite aspect of USB-C is that there is no up or down! Nice for those of us with chronic GCF (geriatric cranial flatulence) who can't see without their tri-focals and bright lights.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Reading this thread makes me want to cry. Is this really how little "regular" people know about USB? No wonder there is so much confusion.

Where to start to make some sense out of this.

1. No, you don't need a USB-C to USB-C cable and it's unlikely you'll see any data transfer improvements over a USB-A to USB-C cable.
2. No, USB-C to USB-C cables doesn't charge your phone quicker than a USB-A to USB-C cable, it depends entirely on different things, e.g. your charger, what current (and these days, Voltage) your phone can accept, the current the cable can deliver. As such, a poor quality cable might not work with say a QC 3.0 charger and phone, as it might not carry more than 1A, instead of 3A.
3. The only reason for a USB-C male to female cable to exists, would be to use it as an extensions. Don't buy this, as it will severely reduce the signal quality for both power and data.
4. Just because you see a USB-C port, doesn't mean it's USB 3.x. There are plenty of cables that are USB 2.0 only, but has USB-C ports. Always check before buying.
5. Several phones and other devices might have a USB-C port, but only supports USB 2.0 speeds. Several Qualcomm chipsets only support USB 2.0, yet have USB-C support. Again, check before buying.
6. Not all phones support the same fast charging standards, so make sure you get a suitable cable and charger/battery for your phone. The only ones that are marketed seems to be Qualcomm's QC (quick charge) standards. Oddly most phones don't seem to support USB PD (power deliver). Also, power delivery has nothing to do with USB-C, as it's all part of other standards. As such, don't expect more than 5V/900mA from a USB-C port.
7. Not all devices carry additional interfaces over USB-C, but the standard can support HDMI, MHL, DisplayPort, audio and more. For audio, some phones support analogue audio from the phone, while others require a DAC and amplifier in the dongle. These Alternate Modes can disable the USB functionality of the USB-C interface, although USB 3.0 tends to be left working, but not USB 2.0.
8. USB-C cables can not be used instead of Thunderbolt 3 cables.
9. The only point where USB-C will be faster than USB-A is once USB 3.2 arrives and only for Gen 2x2 which does 20Gbps, as this will require USB-C to USB-C as it's using additional pins/wires that USB-A doesn't have.

Are we clear now?

 

[Ahhzz]

Reading this thread makes me want to cry. Is this really how little "regular" people know about USB? No wonder there is so much confusion.

Where to start to make some sense out of this.

We're socialist here: From each what they can, to each what they need. Some of us don't know much about USB standards, or real world application. Thanks for sharing

 

[TheLostSwede]

To be fair, it's really, really messed up and I understand why people are having problem figuring this out.
The long term goal is obviously to move to USB-C for everything, but it's going to take at least a good 5-10 years before we're there, if ever and by then there will be something better and faster...

The USB-IF hasn't exactly made things easier with their USB 3.1 gen 1/2 standards and it looks like 3.2 will have 1x1, 1x2, 2x1 and 2x2, which makes even less logical sense... All in the name of backwards compatibility...

 

[Bill_Bright]

Reading this thread makes me want to cry. Is this really how little "regular" people know about USB? No wonder there is so much confusion.

[Rant on]

While it is disappointing some folks refuse to rely on our friend Bing Google, it is also disheartening when people forget everyone, including themselves, were newbies at some point.

I've been around computers long before USB was ever conceived and I too found USB-C (more properly designated USB Type-C or actually USB Type-C™) confusing. For starters, USB (universal serial bus) is a misnomer for it is not really universal at all. Can you connect a USB Type-C connector into a USB 3.0 port? No. Can you even connect a USB 2.0 device into a USB 3.x port and be 100% certain it will work? No!

I think we, as helpers, need to remember too that most of the world's computer (and USB) users could care less about how or why things work. Nor should they. Our computers, cell phones, smart TVs, etc. should just work like most any other "appliance" in the house - without the need to be a technical or security expert. It should be as simple as inserting a slice a bread and pressing one button to get that perfect slice of toast.

All in the name of backwards compatibility...

Backwards and forwards - in other words, back to the "universal" concept, which of course, makes no sense when the connectors are not even compatible.

The USB-IF hasn't exactly made things easier...

IMO, USB has been a PITA since USB 1.0. USB has never worked properly consistently. Each new revision was supposed to fix the woes of the previous standard. Instead, they seem to introduce more problems and incompatibilities.

[Rant off]

 

[TheLostSwede]

I think you misread, my issue is with the USB-IF, not the people that don't understand the difference. USB was meant to be simple to use, but it has grown into a mess of complex to understand sub-standards. I wasn't picking on the people here...

 

[Bill_Bright]

my issue is with the USB-IF, not the people that don't understand the difference.

And yet you specifically said,

Is this really how little "regular" people know about USB?

Then you went on to explain the differences.

But my "rant" was really directed to the world, not just you.

 

[Vayra86]

In an ideal world every pin would fit in every hole...

But I still think usb does a pretty decent job. It needs to improve, but still

 

[Bill_Bright]

In an ideal world every pin would fit in every hole...

No - unless you mean, specifically, every USB connector. Other wise, in a perfect world, it would be impossible to ever put the wrong connector in any socket except the correct socket. And it would be impossible to put the right connector in the right socket the wrong way.

 

[TheLostSwede]

And yet you specifically said,
Then you went on to explain the differences.

But my "rant" was really directed to the world, not just you.

Well, I'm for one not "regular" people when it comes to this stuff, as I clearly has way too much time on my hands. Then again, it's also my job to know these things so...
I just thought people knew a bit more about USB, but apparently I was mistaken.

 

[ShurikN]

Hi there !
I just bought a new Android USB smartphone, and it comes with a USB to USBC cable.
I have USBC on my motherboard, what is the difference connecting the phone to the regular usb port, vs with a USB-C to USB-C cable ? Any benefit or waste of 15 dollars ?
Phone is a Sony Xperia XZ Premium

What connector is at the other end of the Usb-c cable that came with the phone? If it's 3.0 type-a, then I wouldn't bother with a new cable. If it's 2.0, then get a new cable. Your phone, if gsm arena is to be believed (and they are), has usb 3.1 support, so you should see benfits with a 3.0 cable when doing file transfers. But that also depends on several factors, mostly onboard flash speed and SD card speed.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I just thought people knew a bit more about USB, but apparently I was mistaken.

Many people know a lot about all the varieties of USB. But most do not (nor should they have to). The mistake is assuming everyone who visits TPU (or any forum) has the same skillsets, experience, and knowledge as each of the regular helpers on that forum. It is also a mistake to assume all experts have total expertise in all fields within computing. Since IT is industries within industries, that would be impossible. So another advantage to forums is learning from other experts, regardless our starting skillsets, experience and knowledge.

The fact is, most people who visit forums come seeking information because they don't know. And that is what forums are for, right? Not to have it pointed out to them they know so little.

What connector is at the other end of the Usb-c cable that came with the phone? If it's 3.0 type-a, then I wouldn't bother with a new cable.

I hate to assume but I would assume cables that come with phones would support that phone's fastest charge and data transfer rates - especially when that phone is a high-end phone from a high end maker like that phone from Sony, and not some generic budget phone. If not, it should clearly state in the manual a different cable is needed.

 

[Vayra86]

No - unless you mean, specifically, every USB connector. Other wise, in a perfect world, it would be impossible to ever put the wrong connector in any socket except the correct socket. And it would be impossible to put the right connector in the right socket the wrong way.

It was a joke

 

[Bill_Bright]

Thanks for clarifying but unless obvious, jokes in technical forums where not everyone has the same level of technical knowledge or experience often cause more confusion than laughs. As we have already seen in this thread, not everyone is an expert at USB connections.