All mobile phones, tablets, earphones and a wide range of other portable consumer electronics will need to be sold with USB-C charging ports from Saturday, the EU has announced.
First introduced around a decade ago, USB-C charging ports are reversible and capable of accelerated data transfer and charging speeds, the latter known as 'fast charging’.
In a statement on Friday, the European Parliament said that as of the following day, all such devices sold in the EU must have a USB-C charging port, with laptops set to follow suit in late April 2026.
Such as? The only problem I’ve had is that the cables tend to go bad faster than past USB cables (especially DP output and fast charging), which I can’t be too mad about since so many different things are crammed down a thin wire.
USB C suffers from distance degrading earlier in distance. https://community.infineon.com/t5/Knowledge-Base-Articles/Maximum-length-of-the-cable-for-applications-in-USB-Type-C/ta-p/250571#.
There is a lack of consistent standards. They’re all over the place and manufacturers just do whatever they want. Because of this, you can literally have only one cable or adapter that works for a device. In some cases, a third party cable can actually damage the device.
My anecdotal experience:
3.5mm to USB C adapter in three versions. I need one for an Android based tablet and a laptop. I have one from three different brands, Walmart, Apple and Google. The Walmart version works, but every single time you play audio from silence a pop is heard. The Apple version doesn’t work at all. The Google version works perfectly.
For the USB cable itself, it’s rated at 100W and comes from BestBuy. My laptop detected that the provided cable isn’t their OEM version and limits power intake to 65W instead of 100W. My tablet uses the full 85W and my phone uses the full 18W from their respective chargers.
One would be under the assumption that these products are universal, but this isn’t the case.
Are you burning through USB C cables faster than micro USB cables? I think I’ve lost one in the past 5 years.
Yeah they last about 6 months to a year in my experience. I have MicroUSB cables from 15 years ago that still work.
You should look at how you handle them or where do you buy them. My oldest is still fine after 8 years.
It is impossible for me to handle things gently; I have ADHD
What brand are you buying?