Will USB Type-C Replace USB Type-A in the Future? USBs Development Trend Analysis Between Them

By Zico Winter

With the release of Apple’s new computers, the familiar HDMI and SD card interfaces have returned again, while the previous USB Type-C interface has remained the same. In addition to the field of computer tablets, more and more mobile devices are beginning to use USB-C ports. It can be said that USB-C has become the top 1 in the data transmission industry. Why can it replace USB Type-A and become the first?

For USB-C, we need to carefully analyze its development step by step. For so many years, Type-A occupied the leading place many years. So how did the USB-C port be inverted and gradually improved to become the most popular interface now? The current electronic devices are completely different from the previous ones. Thinner, lighter, and denser in internal structure require the interface to be designed in a smaller one. So Mini-USB and Micro-USB appears, but for USB, these two are not convenient enough, especially with the further upgrade of USB. What we need is more lightweight, not only the size, but also the use experience.

With the time goes by, USB needs to be constantly updated to adapt to the environment, Mini and Micro-USB with small interfaces are no longer enough, so Type-C appears. Compared with the traditional USB-Type A, the shape is consistent from USB 2.0 to 3.0. And Type-C does not have the need to be compatible with the old interface, it is USB 3.1 as soon as it appears.

Speaking of Type-C, we can start directly from USB 3.1: *The ideal bandwidth is 10Gbps (Gen 2), and the transmission speed is increased. *The coding standard has been changed from 8b/10b to 128b/132b, which greatly reduces the coding loss rate. *The bandwidth of audio and video transmission (USB AV) is increased to match HDMI1.4. *The power output can reach 100W. The voltage can be 12V and 20V, and the maximum current can reach 5A. *Support alternative mode. That is, it can directly support Thunderbolt interface, HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.

It has been more than 7 years since the birth of Type-C interface. You can see it on most mainstream devices. As the size of electronic products becomes smaller and the number of interfaces becomes smaller, manufacturers urgently need an interface with a wide range of applicability to facilitate market promotion.

So Type-C this small interface is undoubtedly the most suitable. Size: only 8.3*2.5 mm Plug-in: It can be plugged in both front and back, which greatly improves the ease of use. Application: Mobile phones, tablets, computers, TVs, game consoles, video cameras, and even cars can all be interconnected through the multiple internal modes of Type-C. The rapid development of Type-C has also witnessed the decline of Type-A interfaces. Up to now, in the USB4 standard, Type-C has become the only supported interface. This also fully illustrates the mainstream trend of Type-C. More importantly, USB 4 uses dual-channel transmission, while previous connectors such as USB Type-A or Micro-B only support single-channel transmission, which also indicates that Type-A will be out sooner or later.

The transmission rate of USB4 is increased to 40 Gbps, and bandwidth can be dynamically shared. It will continue to play to the advantages of Type-C and consolidate its position as an indestructible data transmission interface.

But wait, since Type-C is so good, why do so many Type-C devices around you have to provide so many data lines? Although they are all Type-C interfaces, you have to buy a lot of lines to adapt. This reason should be explored from its initial legacy. We have to introduce an organization: USB Implementers Forum, which is now the USB standardization organization. In order to further unify other interfaces, this organization had to integrate the advantages of these old interfaces, so USB-IF introduced an alternate mode of Alternate Mode, which supports the use of USB Type-C interfaces for other purposes. In layman's terms, a Type-C interface can not only act as a power port, but also plug a U disk headset, an external keyboard or a monitor.

→ With so many functions, what are the prerequisites for realization? The interface protocol that comes with different devices, may be very different, which also brings about the difference in use. More importantly, manufacturers will cut the interface functions. For example, only support low speed, or reduce effective pins to reduce interface costs.