Resources
The eight connectors on the main site are the ones you are likely to be holding. These are the rest - standards that were dropped, and manufacturer designs that carried USB without ever being USB.
Why two identical USB-C cables behave differently
Every connector on this page can be identified by looking at it - except one. A USB-C plug that carries 480 Mbps and 15 W is physically identical to one carrying 80 Gbps and 240 W. Nothing on the outside tells you which you are holding.
It got harder when USB-IF renamed the speeds. What was sold as “USB 3.1 Gen 2” is now “USB 10Gbps”, and listings still use both. The rule of thumb: ignore version numbers on a listing and look for a figure in Gbps, a figure in watts, and the words DisplayPort Alt Mode if you need video. If a listing will not state all three, assume it is the slowest option.
Legacy and rare USB connectors
Real USB-IF standards that were published and then abandoned. The AB variants catch people out: they are receptacles that accept either an A or a B plug, made for USB On-The-Go so one port could act as host or device. There was never an AB plug or an AB cable.
| Connector | Maker and era | |
|---|---|---|
| Mini-A | USB-IF 2000-2007, deprecated | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Mini-AB | USB-IF 2000-2007, deprecated | Port only - never a cable end |
| Micro-A | USB-IF 2007+, rare | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Micro-AB | USB-IF 2007+, rare | Port only - never a cable end |
| SuperSpeed Micro-A Micro-A 3.0, USB 3.0 Micro-A | USB-IF 2008+, very rare | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| SuperSpeed Micro-AB Micro-AB 3.0, USB 3.0 Micro-AB | USB-IF 2008+, very rare | Port only - never a cable end |
Proprietary connectors that carry USB
Never USB standards, but they carried USB signalling and turn up constantly on old cameras and phones. If you are holding something that looks almost like USB but fits nothing, it is probably here.
| Connector | Maker and era | |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Lightning | Apple 2012-2023, being phased out | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Apple 30-pin Dock Connector iPod connector, old iPhone connector | Apple 2003-2012, phones and tablets | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Samsung 30-pin | Samsung 2010-2013, phones and tablets | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Nokia Pop-Port | Nokia 2002-2008, phones and tablets | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Sony Ericsson FastPort | Sony Ericsson 2005-2010, phones and tablets | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| HTC ExtUSB | HTC 2006-2010, phones and tablets | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| HTC ExtMicro USB | HTC 2010+, phones and tablets | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Sony Multi Terminal Sony Multi-AV, Sony Multi USB | Sony 2012+, cameras | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Olympus USB/AV multi-connector | Olympus 2000-2012, cameras | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Nikon UC series Nikon proprietary USB | Nikon 2000-2015, cameras | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Fujifilm proprietary USB | Fujifilm 2000-2012, cameras | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Panasonic USB/AV | Panasonic 2000-2015, cameras | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| Garmin proprietary USB | Garmin 2005+, GPS and wearables | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
| GoPro HeroPort | GoPro 2010-2014, action cameras | Find this on Amazon Find this on AliExpress |
Apple, Lightning, Samsung, Nokia, Sony, HTC, Olympus, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Garmin and GoPro are trademarks of their respective owners. whatusb.com is not affiliated with any of them. Names are used here only to identify the connectors described.