Type-C to Type-A adapter
A USB Type-C plug on one end and a USB Type-A socket on the other. This converts a port rather than carrying a signal any distance, so it is usually a stubby dongle rather than a cable.
- A Type-A to Type-C cable can never carry the full USB-C wattage. Type-A tops out well below the 100 W and 240 W figures you will see advertised for C-to-C.
USB Type-C — plug
The small oval that goes in either way up - and hides the most variation.
How to recognise it
- Rounded oval about 8.4 mm wide, symmetrical top to bottom.
- Reversible: there is no wrong way up.
- A flat tongue with contacts on both faces sits inside the socket.
- Maximum speed:
- 480 Mbps to 80 Gbps, depending entirely on the cable
- Maximum power:
- Up to 240 W with USB PD 3.1 and an e-marked cable
USB Type-A — socket
The flat rectangle everyone pictures when they hear “USB”.
How to recognise it
- Flat rectangle, roughly 12 mm wide and 4.5 mm tall.
- Only goes in one way up, though it famously takes three tries.
- A white or black plastic tongue inside the metal shell.
- Maximum speed:
- 480 Mbps (Hi-Speed)
- Maximum power:
- 2.5 W standard, more with proprietary charging