USB C vs Micro USB in Comparison, Who Would Win?
Who would win? USB or Universal Serial Bus is an industry standard that originally developed to define a computer connector, which able to power as well a data transfer simultaneously. In 2018, this protocol is 22 years old and we found many version of USB connector. In terms of the smartphone world, the majority of phone split by USB-C and Micro USB for their main port. But, which better? Take a look at USB C vs Micro USB in (depth) comparison. Both USB-C and Micro USB has their own advantages. Nevertheless, Micro USB must accept the fact that it facing its death in couple next years because of USB-C existence.
Well, how powerful the USB-C to be able to beat its predecessor?
Major Category of USB
Before we going into deep, you probably need to know three major categories of USB connector since its appearance in 1996. The first generation is USB-A, then USB-B released mainly for a printer, and lastly, USB-C came along with much improvement. The USB-A is commonly found on the laptop and personal computer. This connector type widely used by a peripheral company, such as a mouse, keyboard, and gamepad. But USB-B is less popular because it was designed for printer and scanner.
Finally, USB-C was the most advanced connector available that provide enhancement of speed and size. This connector mainly used by modern smartphone and high-end notebook in recent years. Meanwhile, USB 1.0, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 is variant of speed. So, don’t’ be confused by type of USB.
USB-A and USB-B transformation to Micro USB style (via Wikipedia)
But wait, where is Micro USB? Alright, Micro USB was originally a smaller generation of USB-A and USB-B. There are Micro-A which based on USB-A, and Micro-B
which descendant of USB-B. The Micro-A is rarely used by electronic stuff, otherwise, the Micro-B is generally accepted by phone manufacturer and still be used today. Now, we can say that Micro-B is Micro USB anyway. However, let’s jump to each profile of USB-C and Micro USB.
USB-C
US B-C with USB-A connection (via Conrad)
The USB-C was engineered with state of the art technology in order to achieve high-speed data transfer and power supply at the same time. The connector is slightly bigger than Micro USB because of 24 pins embedded inside it. The shape of it is almost like rectangular with rounded corner.
Currently, USB-C only supported by the limited amount of operating system and even dominated by a modern version of them. For example, this connector only available for a smartphone that installed Android Marshmallow or above. Furthermore, it considered a high-end connector for smartphone and gadget since only flagship product adopt this interface, both charging and data transfer. Apple also takes the part of the USB-C revolution. They introduce 12″ MacBook Pro with the only single USB-C port. But the good news, the notebook is pretty thin and lightweight. Although radical change by Apple, some expert says USB-C will be a mainstream connector in next couple years. At least, the low-end smartphone could be one of them. This is undoubted to be right because technological price always drops every year. Talking about USB-C speed, it reached the roughly same number of USB 3.0 generation or 10 GB/s for specific. Not surprising since both configurations are designed at the nearly same time. As the bonus, you might be interested to watch this video. This is one of the best explanation of USB-C in a nutshell.
Micro USB
Micro USB with USB-A connection (via Amazon)
Micro USB that we still used today is a smaller form of USB-B. In other words, this connector is less powerful rather than its successor. Yet, this 2007-made connector is reliable enough for current smartphone requirements. This trapezium-like connector is a little bit smaller than USB-C, thanks to 5 pins compact design. The Micro USB is extremely popular in these devices, like digital camera, GPS, flashlight, and probably your old featured phone also comes with this interface. Unlike USB-C which already adopted by flagship product, Micro USB generally was known as low-med segment because it was cheap and convenient. The connector is able to transfer files and delivering power
at once. Tough not really advanced as USB-C, yet the technology just adequate for the majority consumer. The transfer rate of Micro USB can reach 480 MB/s and support OTG features. When you copying small data like less than a gigabyte, probably you can’t notice the differences between USB-C and Micro USB.
USB C vs Micro USB in Comparison Comparison
USB-C
Micro USB (B)
Introduced
2014
2007
Designed for
Tablet & Smartphone
Camera & Smartphone
Dimension
8.4 x 2.6 mm
8.5 mm x 1.8 mm
Speed
Up to 10 GB/s (USB 3.0)
Up to 480 MB/s (USB 2.0)
Max cable length
3 M (9,8 ft)
5 M (16,4 ft)
Max power
20 Volts, 100 Watts
2 Volts, 60 Watts
PIN connector
24
5
Symmetrical
Yes
No
Reversible charger
Yes
No
On-The-Go Support
Yes
Yes
Gathered by USBtip.com from reliable sources.
Conclusion USB C vs Micro USB Both connectors was a technological breakthrough in their age. The Micro USB connector is seven years older than its brother, still not obsolete yet. While USB-C device is getting cheaper, major phone maker predicted will get rid the Micro USB and start shipping products with USB-C interface. Don’t worry if you are Micro USB user. This connector is reliable enough for the current situation. Anyway, the data transfer demand would increase significantly in near future. Meanwhile, the USB-C is designed to be future-proof and can last for few decades unless engineers found a new way to beat USB-C performance. But in my opinion, the USB-C will not have big changes since its debut. The pin would be 24 and still same design, but the speed would improve dramatically and support higher power. And the manufacturer probably gonna dub it USB-C Next-Gen or something like that. So, what do you think about USB C vs Micro USB? How you experience using both connectors?