It’s 2020 and USB-C Is Still a Mess

“It’s the middle of 2020 and the USB-C standards are confusing even for the most technical person,” writes Slashdot reader mprindle. Robert Triggs writes via Android Authority: USB-C is billed as the solution for all our future cable needs, unifying power, and data delivery with display and audio connectivity. Ushering in an age of the one-size-fits-all cable. Despite the USB-C connector supplied as default in modern smartphones, the standard has, unfortunately, failed to live up to its early promises. Even the seemingly most basic function of USB-C — powering devices — continues to be a mess of compatibility issues, conflicting proprietary standards, and a general lack of consumer information to guide purchasing decisions. The data speeds available over USB-C have also become increasingly convoluted. The problem is that the features supported by different USB-C devices aren’t clear, yet the defining principle of the USB-C standard makes consumers think everything should just work… The article goes on to discuss the charging speed and data transfer speed disparities, USB-C port shortages, and compatibility issues with USB 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1 cables. “Unfortunately, the USB-C ecosystem is more, not less convoluted in 2020 than it was when I first looked at this issue back in 2018,” writes Robert Triggs in closing. “The announcement of USB 3.2 and USB 4 makes the standard more complex without giving the end-user clear information about what’s supported. While the growth in USB Power Delivery support is a good sign, the introduction of PPS has already hampered any hopes that the industry might soon coalesce around a single charging standard. The USB spec changes every year, making it impossible for consumers to keep up. Years later, I still don’t see a clear way out of this confusing mess.”