What Is USB-C ?

Its a New Connector type used for Data & Power transmission.

Its developed and proposed by group of over 700 companies including Apple, Dell, HP, Intel, Microsoft, and Samsung.

Compared to Micro USB, what is New ?

• The USB-C connector looks  similar to a micro USB connector (its slightly oval-shaped and slightly thicker)
• No orientation & matching needed for the connector:
  Micro USB needs to be oriented in certain fashion to fit into your smartphone, however USB-C connector has no up or down orientation. so you don’t have to flip it to plug it in.
• No finding of cable ends too:
  Old micro-USB will have USB at one end and micro-USB on other, hence it will fit in particular fashion only, where as USB-C cables have the same connector on both ends, so you don’t have to figure out which end goes where.
• Data transfer Speed: 10GBPS
  The default protocol with the new USB-C connector is USB 3.1, which, at 10Gbps, is twice as fast as USB 3.0
• Simultaneous video and power transfer capability:
  USB-C can simultaneously send  video signals + power streams means that you can connect to and power a native DisplayPort, MHL, or HDMI device.
• Thunderbolt support:
  USB-C protocol supports Thunderbolt 3. means it will be able to go upto 40Gbps bandwidth, reduced power consumption, and the ability to transmit about 100 watts of power.
  A USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 will enable you to use a single cable to power and transfer a large amount of information (up to and including two 60Hz 4K displays)
• Backward compatibility:
  USB-C is practically compatible with older USB 3.0 ports, however the port shape will not match and hence you need to buy an adapter in case you need a backward compatibility.
  

 

Buying a new laptop check for USB-C

Most of the latest ultrathin laptops like the new MacBook Pro, the ZenBook 3, or the HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx, are supplied with a USB-C port only.

So may be you are conncting the laptop to external display for viewing something and at the same time the power from Display is getting back to the laptop for charging, so it will be win win situation for you with this new USB-C ports ..

USB – Universal Serial Bus Specifications

If you are interested in knowing USB to the depth I encourage you to visit USB.org website and read their detailed documentation.

USB-IF Device Class Documents

USB-C audio specification (direct download link)

The USB Type-C Specification 1.0

Released by the USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum) in 2014 along with the USB 3.1 specification.

As per specifications the USB-C port can simultaneously support the following things:

• Audio accessory mode:
  For passive or passthrough audio.
• Alternate mode:
  Use of alternate wires in the USB connection for direct device-to-host transmission of alternate data protocols; as of 2018 these includes Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, Mobile High-Definition Link, and HDMI.
• Billboard Device Class:
  Communication protocol to supply details of Alternate mode connections or provide information about the connection or the device connected at the either end.
• Audio Device Class 3 specification:
  Sends analog or digital (or both) audio data through the USB-C port.
• USB Power Delivery:
  One of the major advantage is capability of “Fast Charging” over USB, further bonus is DRP support (Dual Role Power) which means not only you can fast charge your smartphone but also supply power to a connected device simultaneously.

Note 1 : The USB Type-C specification doesn’t mandate above things, but they are supported, means manufacturer can decide which of above to be incorporated as features. As an example a manufacturer can decide to use HDMI or DisplayPort through the Alternate mode specifications and provide capability to connect your phone to an AV Receiver giving premium sound PLUS mirror the screen PLUS charge it PLUS send data or charge another USB-C accessory all simultaneously ! WOW !

Note 2 : USB Type-C Supported OS are Android with Chrome, Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Finally Why Smart Phone manufacturers will move towards USB-C?

• Cost reduction:
  Mainly reducing 3.5 mm jack and combining the audio to the power cable itself saves lot of cost to the manufacturer.
• Packaging thin way:
  Second elimination of 3.5 mm jack will allow making slimmer phones, manufacturer will now be able to pack things in slim way which is a trend

USB C Headphones List

• Libratone Q-Adapt In-ear USB-C
  

  • Libratone features 4 levels of noise reduction
  • Gives premium sound quality, get on crystal clear voice calls with mic
  • Inline remote : Volume control + track control + “Hush” function, answer calls and activate and adjust Active Noise Cancellation

• JBL Reflect Aware C 
  

  • Adaptive Noise Control feature available
  • Sweat proof

• Xiaomi Mi Noise-cancelling USB-C headphones 
  

  • Affordable
  • Durable titanium plated casing
  • Inline control module

Hope this helps !

Cheers !!