Why new standard USB is really better than the usual USB ports of phones, tablets or laptops, and which devices already have USB Type-C connectors? The CHIP editors answer all these questions.
At first a little important information: The designations USB Type-C and USB 3.1, as they say, go toe-to-toe, since they mean virtually the same thing. When the USB 3.1 numeric designation is used, it is usually referring to the baud rate.
If you come across the name USB Type-C, it usually means directly the type of connector for connecting devices. First, let's compare the previous USB 3.0 standard with the new USB 3.1. All details can be found in the table below.
Comparison of USB 3.0 and USB 3.1
Best USB Type-C Devices
What devices with a USB Type-C connector are generally available in currently? The first of these was the 12-inch MacBook, in which this connector was generally the only one. The current Nexus 6P and 5X googlephones are also equipped with USB 3.1 - and in general, more and more manufacturers are integrating a port of the new standard into their smartphones.
In the following table, we have compiled a list of the most interesting USB Type-C devices for you.
USB Type-C: these devices already have it
The USB connector can no longer be connected incorrectly
USB Type-C: Type C plug (left) can be used either sideThis is what makes the USB Type-C connector incredibly convenient: it is symmetrical. You no longer have to worry about trying to get the right plug into the socket. Previously, this property of the connector was a great advantage of Apple products, iPad or iPhone, and now it is becoming available to a wide range of users. This cable can be inserted either way.
We will also mention one more significant advantage over the USB 3.0 standard: due to the maximum transmitted power increased to 100 W, various peripheral devices, for example, monitors or speakers, will be able to connect via USB 3.1 in the future without an additional power source. The 5A amperage also significantly shortens the charging time of the mobile phone.
In 2015, it was shown a new version MacBook Air... At the presentation, Tim Cook, the head of Apple, as usual, talked about the new features and capabilities of the device. There was one detail in it that interested not only Apple adherents. As you might have guessed, it was about a brand new USB connector Type-C.
What it is?
USB Type-C is an evolutionary stage in the development of the universal format serial bus(USB), which you have probably heard of and which is perhaps the most common technology in the field of mobile and peripheral devices.
This is exactly evolution, not a revolution, although some individual moments can be called revolutionary. So, USB Type-C allows you to transfer not only files, but even video!
Immediately I would like to talk about the designations of USB Type-C and USB 3.1. They do not mean the same thing, although they go hand in hand: USB Type-C is a USB specification, USB 3.1 is essentially a numerical designation that means data transfer speed. Roughly speaking, USB Type-C runs on USB 3.1 technology. By the way, the data transfer speed is very high - over 1200 MB / s versus 500 MB / s for USB 3.0!
Compare USB Type-C and USB Type-A:
And here is a comparison between USB Type-C and microUSB (one of the most popular formats used in the mobile sphere):
What is the advantage of USB Type-C?
As it was written above, in the data transfer rate. But this is not the only advantage of this technology. So, USB 3.1 has a large maximum power, which means that soon it will be possible to connect additional devices like speakers without an additional power source. Just imagine - we took the speakers to nature, connected them with via USB Type-C and listen to music!
Another huge plus is the current strength as much as 5A. This allows you to charge your smartphone, tablet or any other device much faster. The main thing is that this device supports fast charging technology.
Finally, the plug can now be inserted either side - it is symmetrical. Until recently, this pleasure was available only for the iPhone and iPad, and now - for all other devices that use USB Type-C technology.
What devices use USB Type-C?
Many. These are laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Probably, in the future, the transition to USB Type-C devices based on Android will accelerate significantly, as Google advised manufacturers to use exactly this interface in their future updates.
Google laptop:
Let's start with what the new standard is. USB Type-C. aims to unify connectors on many devices from coffee makers, cameras, televisions and to smartphones with computers.
Just imagine a world in which one standard reigns. You do not need to take a bunch of adapters with you on a trip or think if your friends have the necessary cable at home when you go to visit them. In a world where USB Type-C reigns supreme, you can always charge your device wherever and whenever you want. 
Standardization is perhaps the most important trump card of USB Type-C, and as a result, almost all users will feel it. Well, for the fact that the connector can be inserted by either side, a separate respect to the engineers who developed this standard.
More powerful charging
Charging your phone with a cable from a camera or computer isn't the coolest USB Type-C can do. Initially, the specification of the standard was laid down the ability to pass a huge amount of energy through the cable, up to 100 watts of power. Of course, such a current in smartphones is not yet needed, but it's still nice to know that such a powerful potential is already laid down in the USB-C standard. 
Some manufacturers have already managed to implement their fast charging standards based on Type-C. For example, OnePlus's Dash Charge can deliver up to 5 volts at 4 amps, which equates to 20 watts of power. Kualkomovskaya fast charging Quick charge 4 also works on the basis of Type-C and produces at a peak of about 18 watts. It is possible that in the future some graphene supercapacitors in order to charge in a couple of minutes will require a current of 100 watts, and in this case, the Type-C will not rust. 
Sound output
On the basis of the Type-C connector, you can implement a huge variety of interfaces from an elementary and banal audio connector to an advanced Thunderbolt 3 or pci express... We will not go far for examples. There are already a lot of devices on the market that simply do not have a standard 3.5 mm mini jack. It has been successfully replaced by a USB Type-C based digital interface. 
LeEco was one of the first to show the public the advantage this method sound transmission. Their CDLA technology allows lossless digital Hi-Fi audio transmission and the coolest noise cancellation systems without additional power.
Video signal transmission via USB Type-C
But smartphone makers have found another interesting use for Type-C. After all, the connector can transmit not only sound, but also video. Moreover and at the same time to feed the device with energy. As a result, we saw a number of docking stations that turn the smartphone into a full-fledged system unit. 
Microsoft first implemented this idea in its lumia. Later, devices from HP Elite x3 were added to them. They are all severely limited in their functionality. Windows in the continuum mode does not spoil the user very much with possibilities, but nevertheless in this mode it is already noticeably more convenient to browse, work with texts and watch videos on YouTube. And just recently it entered the market with a similar station. 
Summing up, thoughts about the future come to mind and how cool everything will be when a full-fledged transition to USB Type-C takes place. But looking around I understand that this very future has already come. Type-C can be found in the most unexpected places. In consoles, cameras, TVs and cameras even in some inexpensive laptops. It remains quite a bit before the full-scale transition. We only have to hope that engineers and manufacturers will not come up with something new.
New standards are constantly replacing old ones. And now the time has come for a really significant transition, as the introduction of a new format for the most common port - USB - has begun. Let's find out what the new-born Type-C will bring us.
In fact, the format itself has been approved for quite some time. At one time we even on our website. But the road of the standard to final consumer devices is not easy. Things like ports should be put into production at a fairly early level, so it's only logical that the first real gadgets with the port in question have just begun to appear.
The first more or less large commercial device with USB Type-C on board was a tablet. Although it was announced in November last year, it only went on sale in China. And just the other day, two of the largest IT giants announced their new laptops, which are also equipped with the new USB standard. It's new from Apple and new from Google. And if the Chromebook has two new ports, which are accompanied by two "old" USB, then in the MacBook it is the only one, except for the combined 3.5 mm jack.
The release of devices with the new port standard by such large companies means that the peripheral market for which any ports are conceived will receive a strong boost. Even though both of the aforementioned laptops are going to be quite niche devices.
So what can you do with the new USB standard? First, let's be clear about the materiel. The new connector is called Type-C. It is small, thin and symmetrical. A kind of golden mean between microUSB (aka Micro-B USB) and Lightning. Its physical dimensions will be 8.4 mm by 2.6 mm.
But at the same time there is also a new USB 3.1 standard (this is not the same as a connector), which is supported by the new Type-C connector. The specifications have taken a big step forward. Compared to USB 3.0, the data transfer rate has doubled, from 5 Gb / s to 10 Gb / s. Along with this, the ability to transmit power has also increased. Using the 3.1 standard, you can transfer a current of 5 A at a voltage of 20 V. Using simple calculations, this is transformed into 100 watts of power. By comparison, USB 3.0 was able to transfer 1.8A at 5V (9W). In addition, USB 3.1 can transfer current not only from the host to the receiver, but to do it in both directions, if necessary.
Now back to the question of what the new USB standard can give us. As you can see from the specs, it is now really ready to take on absolutely every function it can take over. When mankind came up with connectors and plugs, at about the same moment, the dream should have been born that there was only one connector and one plug in the world, for absolutely any purpose. And now this dream is starting to take shape.
Using the USB 3.1 standard, you can transfer data, connect external displays, connect audio devices, transfer charge - i.e. the new standard has the potential to truly replace all existing ports.
The new 12 ″ MacBook may do it a little aggressively, but it clearly shows that one port is enough. Rather, everyone will probably eventually understand that one port is probably not enough (it is necessary to somehow distinguish favorably between the second generation of MacBook and the first, after all), but one type of ports is quite enough. It is especially pleasing that now the charging will be universal. This means that all laptops can be charged with exactly the same cable as a smartphone. No more proprietary plugs that cost like a full laptop if you lose them. In addition, the charging blocks will become smaller, more accurate and, again, will fit any device.
The big problem with the new standard is the lack of direct backward compatibility with older devices. But things are not as bad as many people think. A variant of cables with Type-C on one end and the "old" USB Type-A on the other is possible. Naturally, all the goodies 3.1 will be unavailable in this case, and will be limited by a lower standard in the chain, but everything will work and this is a positive moment. There are already adapters. The one from Apple, for example, costs $ 79, but this does not mean that everything will be so bad and the Chinese will not quickly catch up.
It is unlikely that all manufacturers will now take and completely decide to abandon the old ports, but the sooner we move to new ones, the better. Ask Apple users if they regret switching to Lightning? I am sure not, although for many it was painful. By the way, it is very interesting which port will be in new iPads and iPhone, Lightning or USB-C?
As a result, we have a standard that has every chance to completely kill all competitors. It is quite possible that in the very near future one thin cable will be enough for us to do absolutely everything with absolutely any device. And that's great.
Dignity USB port 3.1:
★ fast
★ powerful
★ universal
Advantages of the Type-C connector:
★ durable
★ symmetrical
Now it is guaranteed that you can connect the USB cable to the device the first time.
⚠ It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts " port" and " connector». Connector(socket) Type-C can be soldered even on an old phone (instead of micro-USB), but port it will remain so old USB 2.0 - this will not add to the speed of charging and data transfer. Of the convenience, only the symmetry and reliability of the connector will appear.
⚠ Thus, the presence of Type-C does not mean anything yet. Smartphone models are on sale with a new connector, but with old port... The advantages listed in this article do not apply to such smartphones.
Pin assignment
The contacts of the connectors in the diagrams are shown from the outer (working) side, unless otherwise specified.
The port contains 24 pins (12 pins on each side). The "upper" ruler is numbered A1 ... A12, the "lower" one - B1 ... B12. For the most part, the lines are identical to each other, which makes this port indifferent to plug orientation. The contacts of each line can be divided into 6 groups: USB 2.0, USB 3.1, Power, Ground, Matching channel and Additional channel... Now let's take a closer look.
Actually, USB 3.1. High-speed data lines: TX +, TX-, RX +, RX- ( pins 2, 3, 10, 11). Speed up to 10 Gb / s. In the cable, these pairs are crossed, and what is RX for one device is represented as TX for another. And vice versa. By special order, these pairs can be retrained for other tasks, for example, for video transmission.
Good old . Low speed data lines: D + / D- ( pins 6, 7). This rarity was included in the port for the sake of compatibility with old low-speed devices up to 480 Mb / s.
Power Plus - Vbus(pins 4, 9). The standard voltage is 5 volts. The current is set depending on the needs of the periphery: 0.5A; 0.9A; 1.5A; 3A. In general, the port specification implies a power transfer of up to 100W, and in the event of a war, the port is capable of powering a monitor or charging a laptop with 20 volts!
GND - "Ground" - mother (pins 1, 12). Minus everything and everything.
Matching channel(or configuring) - SS ( pin 5). This is the main feature of USB type-C! Thanks to this channel, the system can determine:
- The fact of connection / disconnection peripheral device;
- The orientation of the connected plug. Oddly enough, but the connector is not absolutely symmetrical, and in some cases the device wants to know its orientation;
- The current and voltage that should be provided to the periphery for power supply or charge;
- The need to work in an alternative mode, for example, to transmit an audio-video stream.
- In addition to monitoring functions, this channel supplies power to the active cable if necessary.
Additional channel - SBU (pin 8). The additional channel is usually not used and is provided only for some exotic cases. For example, when transmitting video over a cable, an audio channel goes over the SBU.
USB 3.1 Type-C pinout
The "striped color" here depicts the contacts of a bare wire.
A strange solution was to mark the D + and D- wires not as in USB 2.0, but vice versa: D + white, D- green.
Gray outline marks wires whose color, according to Wikipedia, is not regulated by the standard. The author did not find any indications at all on the colors of the wires in official documentation.
Wiring connectors Type-C ▼ 
Typical diagram USB-C cable Plug-plug ▼ 
Power / Charge Technology USB PD Rev.2 (USB Power Delivery)
The USB-C cable does not have such concepts as "Connector-A" or "Connector-B" - the connectors are now the same in all cases.
Device roles are denoted with new terms:
DFP- active, power supply device (like a USB port A)
UFP- passive, receiving device (like a USB port B)
DRP- "two-faced" device dynamically changing its status.
In addition, the charger is called Power Provider, charged - Power consumer.
The distribution of roles is carried out by setting a certain potential on the CC contact using one or another resistor:
Active device ( DFP V bus.
The resistor value tells the consumer what current he can count on:
56
± 20% kOhm - 500 or 900 mA
22
± 5% kOhm - 1.5 A
10
± 5% kOhm - 3 A
▲ Adapters from USB 2.0 (3.0) to USB-C, used to connect new smartphones to old PCs or storage devices, are soldered according to the DFP scheme, that is, they show themselves to the smartphone as an active device
Passive device ( UFP) is determined by the resistor between the CC and GND.
Resistor value: 5,1
kOhm
▲ Adapters from USB-C to USB-OTG are soldered exactly according to the UFP scheme, that is, they imitate a consuming device.
⚠ USB PD Rev2 technology in which by contact CC agree current and voltage charge should not be confused with Quick Charge (QC) technology, where the contacts D− and D + only agrees voltage charge. USB PD Rev2 is only supported in USB 3.1.
QC is supported without reference to the port version.
USB-micro-USB-C adapter
Pinout of the Type-C to USB 3.0 OTG adapter board from different sides ▼
Analog audio via Type-C
The standard provides for the ability to transmit analog audio through a digital port. This feature is implemented in HTC smartphones U series, HTC 10 Evo, Xiaomi Mi, LeTV. The author would be grateful if the reader would add to this list.
Analog headsets with a Type-C plug are used to work in this mode. To connect the classic, adapters are provided.
Analog audio is transmitted on Data−, Data +, SBU1 and SBU2 channels. The smartphone enters this mode if the plug of the headset or adapter resistance between contacts A1-A5 and B1-B5 is less than0.8 ... 1.2 kOhm... Instead of a resistor, I have seen just a jumper.
Video over USB-C
For video transmission via USB 3.1, the "DisplayPort Alternate Mode" has been developed.
See the list of devices that support this mode.
In the mode "Display Port" the assignment of the port pins changes - two pairs TX2 / RX2 are converted into a video channel, and the sound is handled by SBU1 / 2 ▼
Discussion: 304 comments
I forgot to greet again ... Hello!
To answer
Charger upgrade request stresses the consumer submits digital in a way, and not just by applying voltage. You can emulate a request using a special controller that supports USB PD technology, but this is beyond my competence.
To answer
Question! If I need to get a 12v voltage from the device through type-c besides the 5.1K resistor between CC1 and gnd and CC2 and gnd, what else do I need? Somewhere I saw that D + and D- apply some voltage
To answer
Type-C is just a physical connector. 12V can be obtained if the charger supports USB PD or QC protocol.
In the first case, everything is more complicated, there communication goes according to the protocol, different levels, you need a specialized microcircuit. Well, of course, the charging connector must be Type-C, that is, it turns out you need a Type-C-Type-C cable.
In the second case, everything is simpler with QC, the voltages on D + and D-. But you can't just put resistors, but you can make your own QC trigger on some kind of AVR. Or watch a ready-made trigger on aliexpress.
To answer
Thanks, for the great work.
I am a little bit confused if you can help me.
I have a USB C port which will connect with the phone. Now I have two other ports. One is USB A port which will connect with a pheripheral device and 2nd is a USB C port which will connect with a Wall charger. Now I want to know the connection and resistors value for both functions. Like if I connect a pheripheral device then phone behave as a power sourcing device along with data but when I connect a wall charger then phone recieve power and charge. Note: I don’t want to use both at the same time but if it is possible that would be great. thanks for help
To answer
Day dear Rones. Thank you for your site and the desire to share your knowledge with us (readers). The question is: I have a "Makovsky" 85-watt power supply with an output for a USB-C connector. Mac died - the block remained, I want to expand the area of its use. The block is very good - small and powerful. The specification says that the consumer can be given 5-9-12-20 volts. I stupidly connected the first USB-C / USB-2 cord that came across, plugged it into the network. I measured the voltage at the extreme contacts of USB-2 - 0.1 volts. How do I tell the PSU processor that I need 5 volts and all other volts from the spec? After reading your article, I realized that the processor learns about the voltage required by the consumer by polling the cable lines and measuring their calibrated resistances and / or voltage between the lines. If my guess is correct, what additional resistances between which lines need to be soldered in order to get, for example, 5 volts of power through the USB-2 plug? How to get other voltages?
To answer
