(Learn more about USB-C and its other uses in our article What Is USB-C? An Explainer.) And thanks to the expanding functionality of USB, those connections can be used for everything from connecting simple external storage and displays to working for power delivery-both inbound power to charge your laptop, and outgoing power to juice up your phone or other device. The USB-C port is the standard connection for USB 3.1, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, along with the latest USB4 format. USB-C connectors deliver both power and data.

It’s also smaller than the ubiquitous rectangular USB Type-A, allowing it to be used on devices big and small, from phones to laptops. So long as the male plug and female ports line up, you can plug it in for sharing power or data. More accurately, thanks to a reversible, symmetrical design, there is no upside-down for USB-C. Sleek, oval-shaped USB-C ports have become ubiquitous on smartphones and tablets. Instead of a blocky, rectangular plug end, USB-C uses a rounded profile, and the 24 pins inside are laid out in such a way that you can plug it in upside-down, a feat the older USB-A standard didn’t support.

Developed alongside the USB 3.1 specification that same year, the small connector was a major departure from the USB plugs used at the time. The connector was first revealed back in 2014 by the USB Implementers Forum. USB-C (often referred to as USB Type-C) specifically describes the kind of physical USB connector used on a couple of different USB formats.

Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Softwareįrom the basics of USB-C to the cool features and sometimes-confusing aspects of the format, here is your explainer for everything USB-C as it relates to laptops.

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