Whether you’re looking for a small, low-watt charger for your phone, a versatile travel charger, or something powerful enough to keep your laptop and multiple other devices topped off, these deals on USB chargers can help you save money while improving your charging setup.

After testing more than 20 chargers, ranging from basic, low-wattage models to a 140W multi-device charger, we learned that choosing the right one isn’t as complicated as you may think. Modern charging standards have made today’s chargers more efficient, smarter, and safer than ever. But we still had some standouts that you can see in our Best Chargers 2026 article.

While there are cheaper options or perhaps some with better deals, we can stand behind these as we have tested or used most of them ourselves, or they are part of the same family with the same or similar attributes. Below is a list of some of the best charger deals available right now.

Best USB Charger Deals: Quick Links

• Amazon: Up to 35% off
• Newegg: Up to 50% off

Best deals on 15-47W Chargers

Best deals on 48-68W Chargers

Best deals on 69-140W Chargers

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You can generally get by using whatever charger came in the box with your device (provided one was included, which is no longer a given), be it a low-powered smartphone or a high-powered item like a gaming laptop. But if you’re anything like me and inevitably lose the original charger, or you need more ports or power for all your devices on the go and at home, the choices suddenly become less straightforward. What wattage do I need? Is GaN actually worth paying for? (Spoiler: yes!) Can the cheap, no-name charger that's on sale safely handle multiple devices over extended charging times?

To find the best USB chargers for your phone, laptop, and other devices, we started by testing 20 different models (with plenty more to come), ranging from a 15W phone charger that came with a Samsung phone to 140W beasts, across a wide variety of brands including Anker, Baseus, Belkin, Ugreen, Cuktech, and more. Our extensive charger testing goes beyond marketing claims, focusing on real-world performance, including sustained output over time, thermal performance, efficiency, idle power draw, and even a raw dollar-per-watt metric for those who just want the best bang for their charger buck.

We found that most of today’s chargers are relatively efficient, safer, and smarter than ever. Even the cheap options handled basic charging without issue, particularly at lower wattages. But once you hit the 100W-plus range, heat and sustained output are much more important. Modern charging technologies like USB-PD, PPS, QC, and GaN have significantly improved charging speeds, efficiency, and size. However, chargers still can’t escape physics, and removing 140W of heat from something roughly the size of a deck of cards is still challenging.

Picking a charger that gets the job done isn’t rocket science. Almost any modern charger will suffice, especially for the low-wattage devices. But if you’re looking to power laptops, tablets, or multiple devices at once, spending a bit more can get you more ports, better sustained performance, cooler temperatures, faster charging, and added peace of mind. After dozens of hours of testing, these are the best phone chargers, laptop chargers, and general USB device chargers we recommend.

Quick List

Best Wall Chargers you can buy today

Best Low-Power Charger (up to 30W)

Anker’s Nano 3 30W charger offers users a simple, one-port charger with all of the modern charging and protection features. The little charger that could supports fast charging with USB PD 3.0 support, and PPS (Programmable Power Supply). It also utilizes Anker’s proprietary PowerIQ 3.0 technology, which combines universal device compatibility with rapid charging speeds by integrating USB-PD and Qualcomm QC (Quick Charge) protocols, and can identify your specific device to charge it as fast as possible. Anker’s MultiProtect safety system includes a full array of protections, including high-voltage protection, current regulation, temperature control, and more.

Our testing showed that the 30W Nano 3 delivered its nameplate wattage throughout the testing period. Temperatures during the test peaked at just under 65 degrees Celsius, which was on the warmer side compared to others, but nothing to be concerned about. Efficiency was also solid under load, and it didn’t draw any appreciable amount of power from the wall at idle. If you need a basic one-port charger for your smartphone, watch, or other small devices, it's well worth the $12.99 price.

Read more about our charger testing, including the Anker Series 5

Best 65W-Range / Midrange Charger

The Baseus Enercore 67W (CJ11) gets the nod for our best mid-range charger due to its charging flexibility with the integrated, retractable Type-C cable, consistent output over time, and well-managed thermals. The Enercore supports a wide variety of fast-charging protocols, so you can be assured your device will be recognized and will charge quickly. Safety isn’t an afterthought either, with the company's ‘AI-powered’ BCT technology (an onboard chip that monitors temperatures) to keep thermals in check, along with your more common features like OCP, OVP, and short-circuit/overcharge protections.

Testing the Baseus Enercore confirmed its low operating temperature. In fact, it delivered the lowest temperature we recorded (just under 55 degrees Celsius), running much cooler than most 65-67W models and even the 45W Anker Nano. It was also one of the most efficient we tested, but at these lower wattages, you’ll see that more is reflected in the low temperatures than on your electric bill. Priced at $29.99 (currently on sale; normally $39.99), it compares well with the competition and is the only one in our initial testing group with a retractable cable, making it more convenient for travel. So long as you’re not trying to charge multiple high-power devices, it’s ideal for multi-device charging.

Read more about our charger testing, including the Baseus Encercore

Best 100W-plus / High-output Charger

The curiously named Cuktech 10 Ultra lands on our best list because of its ability to charge multiple devices at once while maintaining the highest percentage of full output (after temperature-related throttling). Note that all of the high-output (100W-plus) chargers we tested throttled, which is par for the course for any passively cooled charging devices at this density. The 10 Ultra has a wide range of charging protocols and has plenty of safety features. The vibrant color display shows per-port output and warns of potential trouble due to temperature and other issues.

Testing the Cuktech 10 Ultra showed it to have average efficiency. It was actually the second-lowest peak temperature (less than 1 degree Celsius from the Baseus Encore 100W), topping out at 63.4 degrees and running cooler than chargers that output significantly less. The multiple ports (three Type-C, one Type-A) allow you to charge a slew of devices, including high-power items like a gaming laptop, and smaller devices concurrently. While it doesn’t have a retractable cord, it’s still good for travel as it can replace multiple chargers.

Read more about our charger testing, including the Cuktech 10 Ultra

Glossary of Terms

• GaN: GaN refers to Gallium Nitride, a crystal-like material that replaces traditional silicon in power adapters to control and convert electrical power. GaN chargers are more efficient at transferring power, can handle more power, run cooler, and are generally smaller. GaN chargers also handle rapid voltage and current changes more effectively, supporting fast-charging standards such as USB Power Delivery (PD) and PPS.
• (USB) PD: “PD” stands for Power Delivery. Essentially, it’s a fast-charging technology that communicates with your connected device to deliver the maximum safe and optimal amount of power. This allows a single device to charge lower-power items like phones and high-power electronics like laptops over a USB-C connection. It can safely deliver up to 240W under newer standards (USB-PD 3.1), allowing many smartphones to reach 50% charge in ~30 minutes.
• PPS: PPS stands for Programmable Power Supply. As the name implies, this is an advanced USB-C charging technology that dynamically adjusts its voltage and current in real time. It communicates with your device to optimize power flow, minimizing output heat, boosting charging speeds, and is said to prolong battery life.
• QC: Qualcomm Quick Charge is a fast-charging technology developed by, you guessed it, Qualcomm, and is designed to work with any device using a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The latest iteration, QC5+, supports charging speeds up to 140W and smartly regulates power delivery by using lower voltage and higher current for a cooler, more efficient charge.
• FCP/SCP: Fast Charge Protocol and SuperCharge Protocol are proprietary fast-charging standards developed by Huawei for their smartphones and tablets. FCP, the older standard, uses a high-voltage, low-current model (9V/2A ~18W) while SCP is a low-voltage, high-current model that starts around 4.5V/5A ~22W with newer generations scaling much higher, even to 100W. Unless you have a Huawei device, this doesn’t apply.
• UFCS: Universal Fast Charging Specification is a brand-agnostic fast-charging standard developed by major Chinese smartphone makers (think: Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi). Its goal is to break brand barriers so you can quickly use a single third-party charger to power devices from different manufacturers. Like USB PD PPS (which it operates alongside), UFCS uses continuous voltage and current regulation from 5V to 30V and up to 100W.

Best Charger Shopping Tips

When choosing a charger for your devices, consider the following:

We tested the top 20 chargers on the market across different power segments to find out which models provide the most consistent power and the best charging experience without thermal throttling. For most people, charging their electronics is a normal, mundane part of life. Between our smartphones, smart watches, tablets, laptops, and other random devices, many of us simply plug the device into the included charger and never think of it again until it's complete. And while that’s fine most of the time, sometimes we lose the original or need something with more ports and power.

So, what should you get? Do you need a 140W charger, or is a 30W charger fine? Can I get away with a cheap $8 charger, or do I want/need something more advanced? How many ports, and what type, do I need? Is GaN technology necessary? Are these chargers safe when delivering full power for extended periods? This article aims to provide you with the answers you need and help you choose the right charger.

Truth be told, the answers aren’t terribly complicated, and the lion’s share of today’s electronics are smart enough not to accept the wrong voltage or overcharge, sparing us all from the potential of destroying expensive equipment like a gaming laptop or even a smartphone with the ‘wrong’ charger. We’re testing to verify output and output over time, check efficiency (the difference between output and wall usage), ensure safety (overheating, etc.), maximize charging speeds, and, of course, protect our devices from damage.

What are GaN and PD/PPS/QC/FCP/SCP technologies? Why does it matter?

Over time, new technologies and protocols have been released, said to improve charging capability. There’s the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) standard (up to 240W) using USB-C, and Qualcomm’s Quick Charge (vendor-specific protocol) works on top of USB-PD in newer versions (QC 4.0/5). The former offers superior universality, whereas QC tends to focus on optimizing Qualcomm-powered Android devices.

GaN (short for Gallium Nitride), on the other hand, is a technology that, upon its 2018 launch, represents a leap forward for charging devices, offering increased efficiency and the potential to be more compact than traditional, less efficient silicon-based chargers. The change in materials allows for faster charging, lower temperatures, and are generally smaller, allowing for higher wattage in a more compact size. The latest generation, 5th (not counting UGreen’s 7th-gen introduction on their new chargers), offers even more output, to 240W, increased efficiency and heat management upgrades over the previous generations, for faster charging, higher power density, and smaller, even more efficient designs. You’ll most frequently see GaN 3 and 4 in the wild.

PPS (Programmable Power Supply) chargers use fast-charging technology that supports USB-PD 3.0, enabling on-the-fly adjustments to current and voltage to increase efficiency. In essence, instead of fixed-voltage steps (like 5V or 9V), PPS lowers conversion loss and heat by adapting to the device’s battery condition.

Finally, FCP (Fast Charge Protocol) and SCP (SuperCharge Protocol) are Huawei’s proprietary fast-charging technologies, with SCP reducing heat generation compared to FCP, so you can charge faster without overheating the charger.

All of these improvements have taken the basic charger and elevated it, helping not only to charge faster, run cooler and more efficiently, but also to extend battery life. The main drawback of these new chargers is the higher price compared to the potatoes of yesteryear. The more new protocols and rarer materials are used, the higher the price tends to be compared to older chargers and those with fewer features or protections (think Overvolt, Overcurrent, which most of our test subjects have).

When you’re in a pinch, chances are that $7.99 charger at the gas station will work fine to charge your phone or, depending on wattage/output, maybe even a laptop, but don’t expect it to do all the things a charger with all the modern accouterments will do (displays, different charging rates, for example), or have an app for monitoring like the Cuktech charger we tested.

Test Equipment and Setup

To gather the data, we need several items to ensure we’re getting the right information in the first place. This includes a portable power station to ‘charge,’ a tester that shows the output voltage, amps, watts, and the charging protocol, a wall power meter to see total wattage consumed, and an IR thermometer to record the device's temperature. Of course, you need a high-quality cable that won’t limit output (we chose a cable capable of 240W). In order to test the cable, we used the USB Cable Checker2 to verify its capability. Below is a list of all the parts we used for testing.

• USB Tester/Voltmeter/Ammeter Tester - Chargelab Power-Z KM003C ($109.99)
• USB Tester (used with multiple connections) - HDC-085C ($12.15)
• USB Cable Checker - Bit Trade One Cable Checker2 ($60.00)
• Portable Power Station - Anker Solix C300 ($179.99)
• IR Thermometer - TempPro TP30 ($19.99)
• Wall Power Monitor - Tekcoplus TK282PLUS_US ($19.99)
• USB-C Cable (240W) - Anker 515 ($29.99)

As you can see from the images below, the test configuration is quite simple. To start, we plug the wall power monitor (AKA Kill-A-Watt) into the outlet to measure how many watts the charger uses.

A charger, not unlike the power supply on your PC, will always draw more power from the wall than it outputs, as the conversion of electrical energy is not 100% efficient and generates heat due to inefficiencies in the transformation process (AC from the wall to low-voltage DC). The more efficient the device is, the less heat it produces and the less power you get billed for. Since we’re talking chargers, not PC power supplies, in most cases, the difference is typically only a few Watts and nothing to be concerned about (read: you won’t see it in your power bill).

From there, we connect whatever charger we want to test to the wall power meter, and then the Power-Z KM003C charging and power bank tester connects to the charger to get the readings directly from the device. Next, we connect the already-tested good USB Type-C cable (3.3 feet, 240W) and plug it into the Anker Solix C300 DC power bank, which accepts the charge and displays the input wattage while charging, rounding out the test system.

How we Test

Before we plug the device in, we inspect the build quality (seams, does it feel like cheap plastic or is it metal?), weight, and port type. We also look at the output rating, fast-charging capabilities, and any certifications (think UL/CE). From this information, we have a good idea of the pros and cons of the features, including cost /W, port count, and protections.

The actual testing starts with an ambient temperature reading from the case. Using the TempPro TP30 IR Thermometer, we take readings from the top and sides to determine the maximum value and record that data point as the device's starting temperature. Once that’s recorded, we plug the device in and check whether it shows any idle power use. I was surprised to see that a majority of the wall chargers we tested used some power at idle, even those without displays or LEDs. Those with displays tended to use around 1W when plugged into the wall with nothing attached.

After the charger is plugged into the outlet and then connected to the power bank with the USB Type-C cable, we check the power output at five, 10, and 30 minutes into testing at the Solix. This value shows how much output the Solix is receiving for charging. As you’ll see from testing, a few chargers throttle due to temperature as we get closer to the end of our test if they’re tasked with putting out their full rated wattage for extended periods. This is mostly with the high-output chargers, as it is inherently difficult to remove, say, 140W of heat from something about the size of a deck of cards and generally surrounded by a poor thermal conductor (plastic).

After passing the 30-minute mark, we take the temperature again and record the peak value at any point on the charger. At this time, we also capture the efficiency data from the output at the wall via the Tekcoplus wall power monitor and the Power-Z tester. The difference between what it pulls at the wall and what it pulls on the Power-Z shows how efficiently the charger converts AC to DC. As you’ll see in testing, these are all efficient, with most sitting at 90% or above. That, coupled with the minimal wattage difference, means you won’t notice a difference on your power bill.

After testing 20 chargers of all shapes, sizes, appearances, and outputs, we compiled all the data into easy-to-read charts.

Tested Chargers

We have a slew of chargers for this article, 20 to be exact, and from all walks of life. From a $9.99 off-brand Wegear to a name-brand Anker $89.99 140W model, we cover a wide variety of wall chargers (stay tuned for a desktop charger roundup, too!) with an almost dizzying array of features and technologies. In this test, we cover popular and familiar brands like Anker, Baseus, UGreen, Belkin, and even a couple of Amazon Basics. We also have lesser-known and off-brand brands like Iniu, Eleschion, Wegear, and the curiously named Cuktech in the roundup.

The chargers come in all shapes and sizes, from cubes to cuboids (3D rectangles) to those that plug in and sit flat on the wall. We have black ones, white ones, and multiple with displays that show output wattage and temperature, and there’s even the Anker Nano II ($29.99) that, when charging properly, shows a smiley face. Wattage ranges from a low 15W (anything less wouldn’t charge our power bank) to 140W devices meant for multiple devices. Some even have their own integrated, retractable Type-C cables like the Elecshion 65W (PD-585).

Below is a simple chart listing all chargers in alphabetical order, along with wattage, port count/type, major charging feature support, and the current price (as of when this was published).

Takeaways

After testing all 20 chargers, I walked away a bit surprised at some of the results. I was surprised to see that some chargers without screens actually have a slightly higher power draw. That said, when idle, the chargers sip power, barely reaching 0.3W, while those with screens are closer to 1W. As we touched on earlier, this isn’t remotely a big deal considering the extremely low wattage. To put it in perspective, at the US average of ~17 cents per kWh (kilowatt-hour), a constant 1W load for 30 days would run just over 12 cents.

Another tidbit I didn’t expect to see was that an overwhelming majority of these are, what I would consider, quite efficient, most within a few percentage points of each other. We did have a couple of outliers, like the older Samsung charger, which was several points below the others at 85% efficiency. The Belkin BoostCharge 20W was also lower than most, with 86% efficiency, and close to the Samsung. The rest sit between 89 and 93 efficiency, which is to be expected for any charger that isn’t the cheapest charger you can find.

Thermal throttling was also something I never considered, as I rarely had to output more than what a smartphone or smartwatch needed, but it did show up in our testing. As you can see from the first two charts, at 5 and 15 minutes into testing, wattage remained constant across all of our test subjects. However, after that, a few got too hot and throttled their output.

Of our 140W chargers, all three throttled during our test. The Anker Prime produced the most output at 118W after 30 minutes, with a reading of 67.2 degrees Celsius (measured at the hottest point on the charger with an IR thermometer). The Baseus Enerfil was the hottest 140W, peaking just under the Anker at 76.4C, but its output dropped the most to 88W. The Sharge Pixel was still pumping out 99W and ran 10 degrees cooler, reading 68.8C.

Of our ~100W chargers, a couple of those also throttled during testing. The Anker Prime (100W) and Belkin BoostCharge Pro (112W) also throttled after 15 minutes, with the Anker dropping to 89W (from 99W), and the Belkin dropping to 71W (from 101W). The 100W Anker also has the dubious distinction of running the hottest of all the tested items (and wasn’t even the highest-wattage item). The Baseus Encore (100W) and the Cuktech 10 Ultra charged with full output during our 30-minute test, keeping temperatures between a reasonable 63C and 65C, which was the lowest of any 100W< devices we tested.

As we look at lower-power chargers in the 45-68W range, none of them throttled their output. The off-brand Iniu 65W charge ran the hottest, peaking at over 70C, and was the hottest of this wattage grouping. Baseus’ Encore 67W and the Anker Nano 45W ran the coolest at around 55C and 58C, respectively—nothing to worry about here.

Last are the lower output chargers. Of these, we don’t expect to run hot, and most don’t, but there are some outliers here as well. The Wegear PA5 (30W) ran to a toasty 70C and was the hottest, by far, of our 15-30W chargers. Anker’s Series 5 charger sat at 65C, also running warm for the wattage. Belkin’s BoostCharge 20W charger ran the coolest, peaking at almost 52Cs, while the Ugreen 30W charger was just above that. In short, here, you’ll be able to run these chargers indefinitely without worrying about throttling output due to temperature. But most of these devices can only charge a single device. So if you have multiple devices or higher-wattage items like laptops or tablets, you’ll need to step up to a higher-wattage charger to charge them all quickly.

Conclusion

So far, we have tested 20 different chargers in this article, from all walks of life. From low-output single-device charging to high-output multiple-device charging, we covered quite a bit in this, our first article. We learned that, within this group, we saw full output from even the cheapest chargers, so long as we were under 67W. Beyond that, we saw some in this group start to fade due to higher temperatures, especially the high-power 140W chargers, which all throttled.

There’s little you can do to avoid that if you’re trying to charge multiple items. Even the newest generation chargers with the latest technologies still throttle output. That said, they still charged, but did so more slowly when their output was limited.

Of the high-power devices, our favorite is the Cuktech 10 Ultra ($59.99 - 110W). For under $60, it delivers plenty of power to charge laptops and multiple devices while still maintaining its output. It also has an excellent front screen that displays detailed charging information for each port (including temperature status), among other details. For the 100-140W group, Cuktech 10 Ultra offers the best balance between price, features, output, temperatures, and efficiency. In our middle group (45-68W), the Anker Nano ($29.99 - 45W) did a great job maintaining its output while also maintaining cool temperatures, and was the most efficient of all the chargers we tested so far. It also has a display to show charging status, which is a plus. Finally, if you’re just looking for something to charge lower-power devices quickly, the UGreen 30W Fast charger (under $14) does that efficiently too. You don’t have a fancy screen, but it does manage full output over time and runs the coolest among 30W devices.

In the end, all of these chargers will fast-charge your device if the output is appropriate, and in a pinch, the cheapest will do. Picking the ‘right’ charger isn’t nearly as complicated as it may seem at first glance. Across the board, even cheaper options handled simple charging duties without issue, especially at lower wattages. Higher wattages introduced tradeoffs of heat and throttling when pushed hard over time. Modern standards (think PDS, QC, GaN) have improved efficiency, size, and performance, but don’t eliminate the physical limits of delivering, say, 140W from a pocket-sized device.

To me, the takeaway is simple: match your charger's output to your actual needs. For example, if you're charging low-power devices (think a phone or two), don’t overthink it. But for high-power devices like laptops or multi-device needs, spending a bit more gets you better sustained performance, more ports, and added peace of mind for your wall/travel charger. Regardless of your needs, today’s chargers are smarter, safer, and more efficient than ever, so long as the wattage lines up, it’s hard to go too wrong. But that said, some are clearly better than others. Keep an eye out for a desktop charger article (covers even higher wattage) and a best chargers page, both available soon.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), a Japanese telecommunications giant, just announced the development of a four-core multicore optical fiber (MCF) that delivers quadruple the capacity of conventional fiber without increasing its thickness or diameter. The company says that maintaining the cable’s cross section is crucial to ensure compatibility with existing infrastructure — not just with cable-laying vessels, but with terrestrial interconnects and terminal racks as well.

As the development of 5G communications, AI models, and cloud services accelerates across the world, so does the demand for transferring massive amounts of data. Telecommunications companies can address this demand by laying more infrastructure, but this could be a costly endeavor requiring a lot of time and resources. So, NTT instead developed the MCF, which contains four different cores (instead of the usual single core) surrounded by glass cladding. Signals are then sent through the MCF through spatial multiplexing, essentially allowing a single cable to carry four independent optical paths inside it. Since more undersea cables bundle up to 48 fibers together, NTT’s technology means that just one cable run can now carry as many as 192 cores.

The company also developed technical accessories that make it easier for cable layers and telecommunications companies to integrate the MCF into existing infrastructure. This includes the submarine joint box, which allows conventional terrestrial fiber optic cables to connect to the four-core undersea cable, and the MCF cable terminal, which is crucial for connecting it to transmission equipment that uses single-core optical cables. There is also the factory joint box that lets cable layers connect two MCF cables to each other on the seabed.

Multiple companies have been continuously laying new undersea connections despite the risks of cable cuts and regional conflicts, showing that the demand to connect the world together is steadily increasing. Meta is even said to be planning to create a new subsea cable route that avoids areas with high geopolitical tensions, such as northern Europe, the Middle East, and the Strait of Malacca.

This technology is expected to be rolled out in 2029, meaning telecom companies can start deploying it in their projects in just a few years’ time. Aside from accommodating increased traffic, the MCF could potentially reduce deployment times without the need to completely overhaul the existing system. This could make upgrades cheaper while simultaneously allowing new projects to be more competitive than existing networks.

Ultra-expensive cables positioned as a miracle cure have been around forever. Most of these are obviously shams, but some are actually really worth the price, such as those that use fiber optics. Cables ditching copper wires to improve signal integrity are not exactly rare, but they were a new discovery for this Twitter user, who got their hands on an $116 fiber-optic HDMI cable from Ruipro with detachable ends.

The X post below went viral, garnering almost a million views for what seems like a perfectly ordinary product. Be that as it may, most people don’t actually care for, or even know, tech specs off the top of their head, especially when it comes to confusing standards like HDMI. What we’re looking at here is an active optical cable (AOC), which carries its signal over fiber optics instead of traditional copper wiring.

It’s called “active” because there’s a signal conversion taking place inside the cable, where electrical HDMI signals are converted into optical signals between the two ends. The cable isn’t entirely devoid of copper wires; some are still used for low-priority communication and power, but the majority of the signal is carried via fiber optic strands. This allows for significantly longer cables that can travel long distances without degradation.

Because this is an HDMI 2.1 cable in the post, it's capable of 8K output at 60 Hz, or 4K at 120 Hz without DSC, and supports 10-bit HDR. It's a full-fat 48 Gbps cable, which isn't always guaranteed, given how loose the HDMI Forum is with its branding. In fact, this is why people often buy overpriced cables: to circumvent the marketing red tape and get the best possible option that'll cover all their needs.

Now, these specs aren't special in a vacuum, but the fact that the cable can enable them over (up to) 990 feet — that's the impressive bit. The "entry-level" $116 version is only 3 feet long, and for that, it's quite expensive because you don't need fiber optic for this length. The best deal here is probably the 100-foot cable priced at $150, so only about $30 more for an extra 97 feet of fiber-optic goodness.

Ruipro has made the HDMI connectors on both ends removable, so you won't have to replace the entire cable if a plug breaks. When removed, the end of the cable can slot into keystone jacks and wall plates as well for easy storage. The cable itself is relatively thin for its size, and the connectors are made entirely of metal to ensure durability.

Another benefit of fiber optic is its resistance to electromagnetic interference, though that's not a huge issue to begin with for HDMI, and EMI is notoriously used as the bait to sell those aforementioned miracle cures. Regardless, this is still a solid HDMI 2.1 cable for those who value signal integrity, and even though the starting price is certainly not enticing, the subsequent options are priced rather fairly.

I’ve bought many, many USB cables over the years. What frustrates me the most is how unassuming they are. Branded, braided, data-capable, high-speed, power-capable – these terms are meaningless to the average consumer when USB cables all look, more or less, the same. It’s a cable. It plugs in. It should all work the same, right?

If only it were that simple. I’ve bought many a dud in my time, even at prices that should have priced out the poor-quality knockoffs. Just because a cable has a fancy braided coating doesn’t mean that you can use it to power your laptop or smartphone, or that it’s safe to use for transferring data, or if it’s even safe to plug in without frying your USB port. That’s why I rely on a USB cable tester as part of my tech kit, and I think it’s one of those forgotten pieces of kit that every household should own, even if most probably don’t.

If it involves power, you really should test it

One unfortunate incident that occurred a few years ago that convinced me of this need involved a USB cable I purchased from a well-known retailing behemoth. I’ve owned a MacBook for several years and, if you’ve ever owned one, you’ll know the frustration of dealing with a yellowing USB charging cable. Every bend and every crease reduces the lifespan of the supplied USB power cable until, eventually, the plastic sheathing breaks, the wiring becomes exposed, and the cable ends up rotting in the trash.

So, to Amazon. I purchased a no-brand knock-off with a nylon-braided shielding that I hoped would work and would last. It didn’t. When it failed to charge my laptop after less than a week, it dawned on me that I was trusting my $2,000 MacBook to a cable that cost me less than $10. I didn’t know how it’d been made or if it was any good before I started using it, other than a cursory glance at the sketchy-looking packaging.

Give these USB testers a try

My inquisitive nature, despite being late to kick in, led me to consider how I could actually test a USB cable in the future before relying on it to power my devices or handle my data. I wouldn’t do it with a flash drive, so why would I do it to a cable? Hence: USB testers. You can test USB cables to determine their quality, available speeds, and generation. You can check if they’re grounded properly, provide the correct voltage and current, and check if they have any faults.

While some of these devices might look a little intimidating to beginners, they're easy enough to understand once you've given them a try. The most expensive will be designed to tell you upfront if, for example, a cable is ready and capable of handling the more advanced USB-C functionality – fast-charging, in particular, isn’t one you’ll want to trust to a cable that isn’t up to the challenge.

I've put together a list of a few USB testers that I would recommend. These vary in price and functionality, from basic tests to check the line and data capabilities of a cable, with more advanced models acting as USB multimeters that are capable of checking if features like fast-charging are working.

These USB testers should give you a good idea of how reliable your cables are. Beginners will probably find it easier to use the models with USB screens, like the Fnirsi USB tester or the MakerHawk USB Multimeter, but you can't really go wrong with any of them.

One thing to point out, however, is that to test a cable, you need a sacrificial lamb of a device to use it with. While testers like these should feature fault detection to prevent any damage, I use an old phone as my test subject, just in case. You should also remember that a cable is only as good as the device you use it with, although the USB multimeters we've listed here can help you check these, too.

And, if you find a cable you can't trust? Don't try to repair it, don't try to salvage it. The best place for it is in the trash — it'll save a whole lot of heartache.

At around 5 a.m. local time, an undersea telecommunications cable between Estonia and Finland was damaged for the fourth time in roughly 1.5 years. Finnish special forces have taken control of the cargo ship Fitburg, detained its 14-member crew, and revealed that they were citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.

Authorities are currently investigating whether the vessel's movement and anchoring caused the incident, reports Postimees. Despite the damage, the owner of the cable claims connectivity remains intact due to extensive network redundancy.

Elisa, a leading telecom provider in Estonia and Finland and the cable's owner, alerted authorities under standard incident protocols at around 5 a.m. Although the fault was located inside Estonia's exclusive economic zone, the ship crossed into Finnish waters shortly afterward, which allowed Finnish authorities to detain the vessel and open a criminal case. When the ship was detained, its anchor chain was in the sea, the report notes.

Officials emphasize that the communications infrastructure between Estonia and neighboring countries is very redundant: Estonia is connected abroad via 12 international cables, so the loss of individual links does not translate into systemic outages.

“We could talk about a critical situation only if just one cable were still operational, but at the moment we have a significant margin,” said Liisa Pakosta, Estonia’s justice and digital affairs minister. “It is also worth noting that such breakdowns are usually not even reported, because they occur fairly often. One of the cables runs between Läänemaa and Hiiumaa — it is not part of these 12 and is a local cable. But communications on Hiiumaa are also functioning.”

Automatic Identification System (AIS) records from MarineTraffic indicate that near the route of Elisa’s submarine cable, Fitburg slowed from 8.9 to 7.3 knots, with a multi-minute data gap suggesting speed may have dropped even further. This naturally causes suspicions that the vessel’s anchor hit the cable when the AIS was disabled.

The ship in question is the Fitburg, a 132.2-meter general cargo vessel built in 2001. The vessel is currently owned by Turkey-based Fitburg Shipping Co Ltd (which happens to be a single-vessel company) and the ship sails under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as of August 1, 2025. Safety management and commercial operations of the vessel are handled by Istanbul-based Sarfo Denizcilik ve Ticaret A.Ş and Albros Shipping & Trading Co. For now, the actual beneficiaries of Fitburg Shipping Co Ltd and Albros are unknown. Meanwhile, there is a growing list of evidence that Albros manages vessels that carry cargo of Russia origin.

This new cable damage episode adds to an already long list of similar incidents in the Gulf of Finland in recent quarters. In just 1.5 years, cables and pipelines in the Gulf of Finland were damaged three other times: On October 8, 2023 the Balticconnector gas pipeline, along with multiple telco cables between Estonia and Finland were damaged. On November 17, 2024, three undersea communications cables between Sweden and Lithuania were broken. And on December 28, 2024 the EstLink 2 power cable between Estonia and Finland was damaged. More broadly, there was about a half-dozen incidents involving damage of underwater cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea in recent years.

Videos and images purportedly showing spools carrying as much as 65km (~40.4 miles) of optical fiber have been shared on Russian social media channels. Previously, we reported on Ukraine-based prototypes being tested at up to 50km (~31 miles). Tethered FPV drones are hardened against electronic warfare and allow for deep, precise strikes into enemy territory. Obviously, having a longer reach (without other compromises) is an advantage.

The images and videos embedded above were shared by a widely followed Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) account on X. GrandpaRoy2’s tweet is followed up by his Telegram source links (an app widely used in Russia). One of the videos appears to have originally been shared by the official PGI Technology account on that social media platform.

PGI Technology?

Based on our searches and review of prior reports, PGI Technology is a joint Chinese-Russian technology venture specializing in the development and manufacture of reinforced optical fiber spools for the military.

Some of the shared imagery shows that PGI makes a wide range of spools with “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60km Internal and External Unwinding.” The factory seems to have a lot of stock prepared to supply Russia’s drone assault strategy.

Refinements such as Kevlar, improved windings, new adhesives, and more are touted by PGI Technology in its posts.

Wired > wireless

Optical fiber-tethered drones have become one of the prominent threats in the Russia-Ukraine war. In civilian life, wireless connectivity is often preferred or deemed necessary. But in war, with advanced electronic warfare (EW) effectively blocking the skies to swarms of deadly drones, simple, reliable tethering wins.

With the emergence of optical fiber-tethered drones as the asymmetric remote weapon of choice, range has always been an issue. Optical fiber enables fiber-optic-guided drones using FPV (first-person view) controls for precise, smart targeting. However, designers have to ask how long a spool of fiber a drone can carry without reducing a drone’s deadly payload too much, and without the risk of tangling.

We previously reported on Ukraine’s unique approach to defending against physically tethered threats from the sky with its equally physical rotating barbed-wire tangling-and-snapping system.

USB PD (Power Delivery) is an advanced, fast-charging standard that supports various power requirements over a USB connection. Its predecessor, USB (Universal Serial Bus), was a wondrous invention in the late 1990s and revolutionized how we connected devices to our computers. Before that, we had various serial and parallel connections along with proprietary options.

USB introduced a fixed 5V power supply for peripherals, allowing companies to design around this power requirement. But as time went on, devices traditionally charged via a DC barrel jack moved to USB, and those devices started requiring more power or introducing proprietary protocols. This is where USB PD (Power Delivery) comes in. The first version of USB PD was designed for older USB-A devices; it wasn’t until USB PD 2.0 that USB-C became the dominant interface.

The USB C PD Specification

The key feature of USB-PD is smart power negotiation. The device and the charger communicate with each other and establish the correct power requirements without user intervention.

The specifications for USB-C PD have evolved over the years. We are currently at USB-PD 3.2, which introduced new branding/terminology. The specification defines communication standards that enable the device to report its power capabilities. The latest version of this protocol, the Power Supply Block (PSB), was PSB-P3.1 in 2021, and that standard is backward compatible with previous versions.

As a result of the spec, I can charge my smartphone at 18W and my Lenovo X390 at 65W from the same USB PD charger; there is no longer any need to carry multiple chargers. Even Apple devices, which have long used proprietary connectors, are moving to USB-C due to EU regulatory requirements.

Let's take a look at the specs.

PPS: Programmable Power Supply, introduced in USB PD 3.0 that enables a device to dynamically adjust voltage and current for efficient charging.

AVS: Adjustable Voltage Supply, introduced in USB PD 3.1 alongside EPR. AVS enables a USB-C charger to provide higher voltage and power levels, up to 240W when using the correct cables.

EPR: Extended Power Range, introduced in USB PD 3.1, enables chargers and devices to deliver more than the previous 100W limit. It works with AVS to provide up to 240W.

USB PD 1.0

USB PD 1.0 was the start of the standardization. We only have five power profiles. One for 5V, and two each for 12V and 20V. But each profile is designed for a different device type. At the time, smartphones didn’t use high-speed charging profiles that we have now. Typically, smartphones would charge between 10 and 15W. Headphones, desk accessories, and portable hard drives would run at 10W. You could run higher-powered devices, such as hubs or external GPUs, if you had the correct cable.

There are numerous USB PD 1.0 devices on the market, commonly used to charge smartphones and power USB-A devices that require more power. I have one to power my many USB soldering irons. This version of USB PD may be “dumb” when compared to the newer standards, but it gets the job done.

USB PD 2.0

USB PD 2.0 is where we see USB-C enter the PD standard, and PDO (Power Data Objects) expands the standard to provide additional 9V and 12V options that deliver 1.67 to 3A (up to 27W) for 9V and 1.8 to 3A or 2.25 to 3A for 15V. At 20V, devices can negotiate up to 5A, giving a full 100W of power.

USB PD 2.0 was possibly the most impactful version on the market, largely thanks to the introduction of USB-C to the standard. Most USB-C laptops use this, but it does depend on the manufacturer. The same applies to power banks and hubs. This is the era in which many manufacturers moved away from proprietary power bricks because USB-C offered the power they needed in a very convenient form factor. Notable examples include Nintendo’s Switch, Ultrabooks, and Chromebooks.

USB PD 3.0

USB PD 3.0 brought PPS (Programmable Power Supply) to the standard, with voltages between 3.3 and 21V at 3A. USB PD 3.0 provided a fine-grained approach to power negotiation. By negotiating a more efficient power profile, devices could charge faster and at lower temperatures. There is still the 100W hard limit, but PPS favors efficiency over raw power. USB PD 3.0 is common in flagship smartphones because it supports flexible charging rates, improves battery life, and, of course, reduces heat. These are all factors to consider when charging smaller devices.

USB PD 3.0 is now a decade old and has become the de facto standard for chargers, thanks to its expansive voltage range that supports a wide range of devices.

USB PD 3.1

Released in 2021, USB PD 3.1 introduced Extended Power Range (EPR) that added three new fixed voltages. These were 28V, 36V and 48V. It also saw the max power output extended to 240W when using an EPR cable.

The Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS) enables 240W by providing 48V at 5. This high power output is typically used with GaN (Gallium Nitride) power supplies that use GaN semiconductors instead of the traditional silicon. The benefit of GaN is that it can be made smaller, more efficient, and it has much better heat dissipation. Other devices that use this standard are high-power laptops, such as gaming and workstation replacements. The Framework Laptop 16 is a chief example of a high-power laptop that employs USB PD 3.1.

USB PD 3.2 had no impact on any of the electrical standards used. Rather, it was a release to align the USB PD terminology with USB-IF branding.

The USB PD standard is constantly evolving, and with USB PD 3.1, we have a connector that offers plenty of power for gaming laptops and even enough power for mini PCs and multi-monitor setups. A future USB PC specification could one day solve all of our power connector problems.

The General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB, AKA HP-IB) has finally received stable drivers, and will be merged in the Linux 6.19 kernel release, 53 years after it was launched by HP. Phoronix explains that GPIB support was first added to the mainline Linux kernel last year, but now they have been declared stable.

This driver addition was highlighted by Greg Kroah-Hartman in a staging pull request for Linux 6.19-rc1. “Here is the big set of staging driver updates for 6.19-rc1,” wrote Kroah-Hartman. “Only thing ‘major’ in here is that two subsystems, gpib and vc04 have moved out of the staging tree into the ‘real’ portion of the kernel, which is great to see.” The dev added that these additions have been tested for a while with no reported problems.

What is GPIB?

GPIB is an ancient interface that was developed by HP back in 1972. It was developed by the influential tech firm as a standard to connect its growing range of lab equipment to computers. The range of GPIB-connected devices would mostly cover things from the realms of electronic test and measurement instruments. That includes oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analyzers, and more.

Computers of the era lacked a robust standard interface, capable of meeting HP’s needs. This was the same year as Intel introduced the first commercial 8-bit microprocessor, the 8008. The ‘PC industry’ wasn’t even a thing until 1975, with the introduction of the Altair 8800, or some would say 1981, when the first IBM PC arrived.

Of course, this was a long time before the interfaces we are familiar with today like USB, Ethernet, and PCIe, were widespread. (With the 3.5mm headphone jack being a notable exception). Thus, GPIB’s 8‑bit parallel, short‑range, multi‑master bus interface was devised, and it could transfer data at up to 8 MB/s.

From the embedded pictures, you can see GPIB was a pleasingly rugged design, and the connectors could be stacked. The standard, which would later be adopted as IEEE 488, supported up to 15 devices sharing a single physical bus of up to 20 meters (66 ft) total cable length.

The Wikipedia page about GPIB shares pictorial examples of devices using this interface which include an oscilloscope, a multimeter, a plotter, as well as devices that were used by Commodore 64 and Acorn computer users. The faster, more complete SCSI standard would largely be responsible for IEEE 488’s retirement.

I recently took a trip overseas to Germany for IFA 2025, which meant I had to bring some essential gear to keep my devices charged while on the go. These devices ranged from a multi-outlet USB-C wall adapter to a portable 25,000 mAh battery to a thin MagSafe battery for my iPhone to a Euro plug converter for keeping my devices charged in my hotel room in Berlin.

Ugreen 65-watt Retractable USB-C Power Block

🧳 Ugreen USB-C Power Block

I actually picked up both 45-watt and 65-watt Ugreen retractable USB-C power blocks during the last Amazon Prime Day event in July. I took the 65-watt version with me on my trip due to its higher power output.

When using it to charge a single device, the retractable USB-C cable can deliver up to 60 watts. The USB-C port tops out at 60 watts, while the USB-A port doles out 22.5 watts. If you're charging two devices at once, either the retractable USB-C cable or the USB-C port can deliver a maximum of 45 watts, with the other topping out at 25 watts.

While in my hotel room, I used the Ugreen adapter to supply power to my 3-in-1 travel MagSafe charger via the retractable USB-C cable and to charge my MacBook Air with the USB-C port. Even with my MacBook Air, iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods Pro charging all at once, the adapter was just barely warm to the touch. The thermal performance is likely due to the Gallium Nitride (GaN) power transistors, which help improve efficiency and thus reduce heat output.

The 65-watt Green USB-C Power Bank is currently on sale for $37.99. If you can get by with the lower-output 45-watt version, it sells for $28.99.

Anker 737 Power Bank

🧳 Anker 737

My Anker 737 is my go-to power source when flying, and I've had it for nearly two years at this point. The power bank features a 24,000 mAh internal battery that has enough juice to charge an iPhone 16 Pro from empty to full four times.

The Anker 737 has two USB-C ports, each of which can deliver up to 140 watts if just one device is attached. There's also a USB-A port that tops out at 18 watts. When you've fully depleted the power bank, if you have a 140-watt charger on hand, you can get it back to a 100 percent charge in 52 minutes.

One of my favorite features of the power bank is the built-in OLED display, which provides information on the current charge capacity, the estimated time to deplete the battery based on the current output, and the wattage delivered to each port.

While crossing the Atlantic on my NYC to Berlin leg of my trip, I used the Anker 737 to charge my iPhone 16 Pro (not in use) and iPad Pro (as I binge-watched The Pitt). Granted, I could have used the power outlet near the floor, mounted on the seat in front of me. However, since I was in the aisle seat, and the two passengers beside me kept getting up to use the bathroom, which would have required me to keep unplugging to let them pass. With the Anker 737, I just set the battery beside me in my seat. It's also a lot easier than fumbling, trying to find the seat-mounted power outlet in the dark.

The Anker 737 is currently priced at $87.99, or 20 percent off its MSRP of $109.99.

Baseus MagSafe Portable Charger for iPhone, 10,000mAh 20W Magnetic Power Bank

🧳 Baseus MagSafe Portable Chargerk

When on the ground in Berlin, I was in and out of meetings, in and out of Ubers, and walking around the show floor without easy access to power. It's easy to run through my phone's battery when taking tons of pictures, uploading those images to the cloud, and recording interviews for execs.

As a result, I use a Baseus 10,000 mAh 20W MagSafe battery. It magnetically attaches to the back of my phone, doubling its thickness. Despite the added heft, I still have no trouble fitting it in my front pants pocket. It has enough capacity to provide a 0-100 percent charge (and a bit more) on my iPhone 16 Pro. The battery pack recharges via its USB-C port. You can also recharge your phone or another device via the USB-C port at up to 20 watts if you don't want to bother with the MagSafe function.

I bought my Baseus MagSafe battery charger on clearance from Woot.com for $18.99. However, a newer, 22.5-watt version of the device is currently available from Amazon for $26.99.

VINTAR International Power Plug Adapter

🧳 Vintar Power Plug Adapter

All of my U.S. plugs are useless in Europe without a travel plug adapter. I previously bought a VINTAR 2-pack of Euro travel adapters for a family vacation to Greece last year, and took one along for my trip to Berlin.

The plug is quite versatile, offering two U.S.-style outlets, three USB-A ports, and one USB-C port for your devices. The plug is sturdy and doesn't feature moving parts, making it less susceptible to breaking from continual use and being tossed in my carry-on bag.

The VINTAR European Travel Plug Adapter is available in a two-pack for $19.99 at Amazon.

Anker has long been a leader in innovative chargers and related accessories, and the company brought some of its newest devices to the IFA trade show in Berlin, including a dock, a beefy portable battery, and a surprisingly compact 160W charger, all a part of its high-end Prime lineup.

14-port Anker Prime Docking Station

First up is the company's latest Prime dock, which is loaded with ports – 14, to be precise. It brings three USB-C, three USB-A, two HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and SD / MicroSD slots. There's also basically a GaN charger on board, delivering 140W upstream for fast-charging laptops and other devices. All three of the USB-C support fast charging and data, so no you don't need to choose which port you plug into.

The Prime Dock supports three screens, and up to 8K on one screen, with 4K claimed on the other two. Note that the materials weren't entirely clear and Anker was still setting up its booth, so we weren't able to confirm. But this looks to be a 10 Gbps dock (there is no mention of Thunderbolt or USB4). If so, there must be a fair bit of compression happening if you plan to push a lot of pixels.

As with all three of these new Anker devices, there's a screen and app for info and controls. And the dock's housing hides active cooling to avoid throttling.

The 14-in-1 Anker Prime Dock should arrive on September 5th, with an expected U.S. price of $299.

Anker Prime Power Bank can reportedly charge 40% in 10 mins

Anker's latest Prime Power Bank looks fairly standard for a 26,250 mAh model here in mid-2025. It's rated to deliver 300Wr with two USB-C ports (140W each) and a USB-A port (up to 22.5W). But its claim to fame is that it can be recharged at up to 250W. The company says it can go from zero to 40% recharge in just 10 minutes, and 85% in 35 min. But that's if you plug a charger into each of its two USB-C ports. It can also do 150W recharging via an optional charging base.

Anker says the Prime Power Bank is 17% smaller and 10% lighter than competing power banks of the same capacity, but it is still a substantial brick, at 159.9 x 38 x 62.7 mm. That's a little slimmer, but otherwise similar dimensions to a 26,000 mAh Baseus charger I bought earlier this year. At 99.75 Wh, it is airplane-friendly, but rules about power banks and their use on flights have been changing lately, so be sure to check before heading to the airport.

The battery also has a screen that shows charging info, and can be adjusted via an app to change settings and dim or turn off the display. It also supports firmware updates for the latest protocols and software features, but that requires the optional base.

Pricing and availability weren't available for the Prime Power Bank as of publication.

Anker 160W Prime Charger

Anker says its three-USB-C port 160 Prime Charger is 54% smaller than Apple's 140W charger, and it's certainly small for how much power it can dish out. It should fit in most pockets unless you're still rocking skinny jeans.

The three USB-C ports can each max out at 140W, and they can dynamically adapt while charging, so when one device hits 100%, others can pull more power to charge your other devices faster. Again there's a display on the front of the Prime Charger, which provides real-time power info for each port. It can be controlled via Bluetooth with an app to change charging modes, adjust screen brightness, turn on a sleep mode, and more.

The Anker 160W Prime Charger is expected to cost $149 in the U.S, and should be available September 25th.

The world is mobile, and with remote working more accessible than ever, you can pretty much work or take your devices anywhere that you can think of. The problem is the availability of sources to charge or keep your devices topped up so that you don't run out of power at an inopportune moment. If you have access to plug your laptop into a wall outlet, then there's no issue, but let's say you want to play a few games on your laptop or Switch 2 on the train or a flight. A battery can be quickly drained in demanding applications, so you will need a beefy power bank to charge high-draw devices.

The Ugreen Nexode should also be fine to take on flights due to it being under the 27,000mAh/ 100Wh limits set by aviation flight authorities. Do check with your carrier if you have any concerns about bringing your power bank on your next flight, as the rules can vary sometimes depending on locations and carriers.

• Check out this deal on Amazon

This power bank isn’t just for charging a smartphone; It's able to put the juice back in your laptop or handheld game console in next to no time with high-power fast-charging. With dual 100W charging, you can even charge simultaneously. You can even charge a MacBook Pro with ease thanks to its 140W-capable USB-C power delivery 3.1 (PD 3.1) technology. In just 30 minutes, you can charge a MacBook up to 50% or more.

One of the best features of the Nexode power bank is its integrated TFT display. It provides input/output wattage per port, the current battery capacity level, and even the remaining time before the power bank runs out. More information makes it easier to manage your device's charge for prolonged use.

If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

When traveling, it’s easy to keep your devices topped off if you have easy access to a power outlet. Just plug in a power adapter and a USB cable, and you’re good to go. But what about those times when there’s no wall outlet in sight? That’s where a battery power bank can come in handy, and one of the best ones available is the Anker 737, which is currently just $76.99 at direct from the manufacturer after a coupon code WS245UB5BF.

• Check out all the deals in Amazon's Prime Day Sale

I have personal experience with the Anker 737, as I bought one on September 19, 2023 and have used it extensively. The power bank has a permanent spot in my travel bag for those times when I need to top off. The Anker 737 has gotten heavy use on cross-country flights, and even on the beach to charge the battery on my iPhone (which quickly drains as the display brightness jumps sky high in direct sunlight).

But this power bank isn’t just for charging smartphones; I’ve used it to charge my iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods — sometimes simultaneously. Heck, it will even charge my MacBook Pro with ease (it’s 140W-capable using USB Power Delivery 3.1).

Anker says that a fully charged 24,000 mAh battery can recharge an empty iPhone 16 Pro four times, or fully charge an iPad Pro and still have some juice leftover. In my experience, those statements seem pretty accurate. It can charge three devices at once via one USB-A port (18W max) and two USB-C ports (140W max using a single port). One of the two USB-C ports is also used as input when recharging the Anker 737. You can also quickly replenish it from 0 to 100 percent at 140W in just 52 minutes.

However, one of the niftiest features of the power bank is its integrated OLED display. It provides input/output wattage per port, the current battery capacity level, and even the remaining time before the power bank runs out.

With a sub-$80 price tag, the Anker 737 is a well-thought-out power bank that should satisfy even the most demanding travel warriors.

We are working hard to find the best computer hardware deals for you this Amazon Prime Day. We cover the hottest deals in real-time at our Best Amazon Prime Day Deals Live page. If you're looking for more savings, check out our Amazon Prime Day deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

I travel a lot, be it by plane or by car, so my laptop bag is often filled with various cables, wall adapters, battery power bricks, and USB cables. However, I’m trying to consolidate as many of my components as possible. So, when browsing around Amazon looking to see if there was anything I could score for myself for Prime Day, my eye was immediately drawn to two listings from Ugreen: 65-watt and 45-watt retractable USB-C charging blocks priced at $34.99 and $19.99, respectively.

• Check out all the deals in Amazon's Prime Day Sale

Ugreen is a name I’m familiar with, as I have one of the company’s USB-C to 2.5 GbE adapters that I keep in my travel bag, just in case. But the retractable power bricks intrigued me for multiple reasons.

I currently use Apple 29- and 70-watt USB-C power adapters to charge my devices on the go. Of course, you can only charge one device at a time with these adapters. However, Ugreen’s power bricks allow me to charge up to three devices. In my usage case, I could imagine using the 65-watt USB-C power brick to charge my MacBook Pro, iPhone, and Apple Watch (or AirPods) simultaneously.

The second thing that intrigued me is the integrated retractable 2.3-foot USB-C cable. There’s no need to worry if I remembered to bring along a USB-C cable; it’s already attached and stows away when not needed. It doesn’t get any better than that. My track record is mostly good with retractable cables, so I’m crossing my fingers on the long-term durability here.

Finally, the overall size of these Ugreen retractable power bricks is a big draw. Compared to my 75-watt Apple adapter, these things are much smaller in comparison, due in part to the use of Gallium Nitride (GaN) power transistors. The 65-watt version has straight-through power plugs, while the 45-watt version uses retractable plugs to further reduce its profile in your bag.

The 65-watt version includes the retractable USB-C cable, one USB-C port, and one USB-A port, while the 45-watt version has the retractable USB-C cable and two USB-C ports.

With pricing as low as $19.99, Ugreen’s retractable USB-C charging blocks were an immediate impulse buy for me. I bought one of each, and they’re bound to be a helpful addition to my travel bag and will help cut down on cable/charger clutter.

We are working hard to find the best computer hardware deals for you this Amazon Prime Day. We cover the hottest deals in real-time at our Best Amazon Prime Day Deals Live page. If you're looking for more savings, check out our Amazon Prime Day deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

I love that I’m so happy and hyped over a purchase as mundane as a plug extension outlet, but it’s sorted so many issues in my recent office move that I just love it. The fact that it solved so many problems and was so reasonably priced has just added to the feel-good factor. I wish all my tech purchases had the same effect.

In an increasingly digital world, the need for accessible power and charging solutions has never been greater. My latest purchase, a tower extension plug outlet with integrated USB ports, has proven to be an unexpectedly indispensable addition to my workspace. It's more than just a power strip; it's a central hub that has transformed the way I manage my devices and decluttered my desk. It already has a new nickname as the Power Tower of Destiny.

How many times have we risked a small meltdown by overloading sockets with multiple extensions or daisy-chaining them together to have enough power outlets available for our setup? Well, no longer, but I’d love to know what solutions or devices you use to facilitate all your tech power needs, so please feel free to leave pictures and information in the comments so I can take a look or possibly gain some insight and inspiration into other options.

I went for the Hotimy 5-metre Tower Extension Lead for my setup, but there are plenty of varying shapes and sizes with alternate orientations of plug sockets, to overall shapes and dimensions. Mine is, of course, a UK outlet with specifications met for that type of power circuit. But there are plenty of similar models available for US circuits.

Some of the US extension leads I've seen that look interesting for cable management and clutter cleanup are the Qinlianf Surge Protector Power Strip (just the sheer amount of sockets tempts me), the Inland 8 Outlet Long Aluminum Heavy Duty Power Strip (a clean-looking power strip with a good amount of sockets), and the Desk Clamp Power Strip (which could be functional and also look really good attached to your desk).

Abundant Power and Charging Options

The sheer number of outlets and USB ports offered by this device is truly impressive. With 12 AC outlets and 4 USB ports, I can easily power my PC, monitor, laptop, speakers, and DAC without needing multiple wall adapters, and one of my biggest problems was access to only a single outlet in this room. The integrated USB-A and USB-C ports are a bonus game-changer, allowing me to directly charge my smartphone, wireless headphones, and other gadgets without the need for bulky charging bricks or separate adapters. This convenience means a far more streamlined charging routine at home.

Eliminating Cable Clutter

One of the most immediate and satisfying benefits of this tower outlet is its ability to significantly reduce cable clutter. Instead of a tangled mess of cords snaking across my floor and desk, the tower design centralizes all connections in one vertical unit. This not only looks tidier but also makes it far easier to identify and manage individual cables. The vertical orientation means it takes up minimal desk space, a valuable asset in my office setup, as I don’t have that much room. I’m using the tower outlet on an electric standing desk, so I bought a tower with a long cable for just a single run from the desk to the socket. Now there are no issues with the cable lengths of my devices when raising or lowering my desk.

Enhanced Safety Features

Beyond convenience, the safety features integrated into this tower outlet provide peace of mind. This model includes surge protection, safeguarding valuable electronics from power fluctuations. Overload protection and fire-resistant material construction, which is soothing to know when you can plug up to 12 devices into it. The tower is rated for up to 3,250W, which is the max capacity of the power draw of the (230/240V UK) socket. This focus on safety is crucial, especially when powering multiple expensive devices simultaneously. I don’t want any sockets glowing cherry-red and the sudden smell of burning sulphur.

Portability and Versatility

Despite its robust capabilities, the tower extension is surprisingly portable. Its compact design makes it easy to have stationed on my desk or move between rooms. Its versatility extends beyond the desk; it's equally useful in a living room for entertainment systems, in a bedroom for bedside charging, or even in a workshop for powering various tools.

In conclusion, what might seem like a simple accessory has become an essential component of my daily life. My tower extension plug outlet with USB ports is a testament to how thoughtful design can address common frustrations and significantly enhance productivity and organization. It's a small investment that delivers immense convenience, safety, and a welcome reprieve from the perpetual struggle against cable chaos.

YouTube creator DIY Perks has partnered with startup Etherdyne Technologies to create a true wireless power system on a four-foot by two-foot desk, allowing him to run a complete workstation with its associated accessories without any cables. You can see in the YouTube video that he’s running a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard, true wireless stereo speakers, a wireless microphone, and even a wireless monitor —all powered by a flexible wire loop that generates up to 100 watts of wireless power.

According to Matthew Perks, the person behind the YouTube channel, Etherdyne’s Wire-Free Power Zone kit works similarly to the wireless chargers most phones have. These wireless chargers generate an alternating electromagnetic field with a frequency between 110 and 205 kHz, which is enough to produce around 15 watts of power.

But because its frequency is so low, your device must be so close to the wireless charger that it will only work efficiently if the coils are perfectly aligned with each other. They also need to be in proximity, so much so that they’re practically touching each other’s surfaces.

On the other hand, Etherdyne’s solution has a transmission frequency of 6.78 MHz, allowing it to deliver up to 100 watts of power at distances of up to three feet. You also don’t have to align the coils perfectly to achieve wireless power transmission — as long as it’s within the range of the ‘power dome’, your devices will reliably get enough power, depending on the power coil you use.

To prove that the peripherals he’s using aren’t secretly battery-powered, Perks removed the battery from his wireless mouse and replaced it with the wireless power receiving loop. He also built the stereo speakers, a heated mug, and the wireless microphone from 3D printed and spare parts — all of which are powered wirelessly. He also modified a 24-inch monitor by building a custom base that integrated two 7-watt power loops. This allowed him to ditch the monitor’s power cord entirely, and he then used a wireless HDMI receiver to connect it to a Framework that’s built directly into the desk.

The DIY Perks is an excellent demonstration of the possibilities of Etherdyne Technologies’ Wire-Free Power Zone tech. Unfortunately, it’s not yet commercially available, although you can request an Evaluation Kit from the Etherdyne website if you’re interested in experimenting with it. Some users might also have some health concerns about the amount of radio frequency the wireless tech is pushing out, but the company claims that its Eval Kit has already received FCC and CE certification, so it likely complies with safety regulations.

Systems supporting PCIe 7.0 interconnections with a 128 GT/s transfer rate are years away. However, companies like Molex, which specializes in connectors, are already working on connectors and cabling solutions for PCIe 7.0. The company shared its PCIe Gen7 progress at Computex, demonstrating its Genesis cable and connector solution as well as the hardware used for internal interoperability tests.

PCIe cables, such as Molex's Genesis, address the challenges posed by high-speed signaling and the limitations of traditional PCB traces in terms of integrity and trace lengths. Genesis relies on an SFF TA-1040 connector for compatibility and potential broad industry adoption as PCIe 7.0 infrastructure begins to be deployed. The connector supports different configurations and cable lengths to maintain performance over distances where PCB solutions would struggle.

Molex's own signal integrity simulations for Genesis show controlled performance across various cable lengths. At 32 GHz, insertion loss ranges from -3.4 dB at 250 mm to -9.2 dB at 1000 mm, demonstrating effective signal retention over extended distances. Crosstalk levels are kept low across all lengths of up to 1000 mm, and impedance control remains tight through the connector and cable assemblies.

Genesis is designed to be structurally reliable, maintain a minimal footprint that fits into densely packed servers, and support cable lengths of up to 1000 mm without compromising signal integrity. To achieve this, it utilizes 29 AWG low-loss microwave coax cables for optimal high-frequency performance, signal integrity, and reliability.

Molex's roadmap for Genesis includes the x8 connector, scheduled for May 2025, the x16 model in July 2025, and a future x20 version. The Genesis design supports up to 74 pins for x8 configurations, with larger x16 and x20 variants planned to accommodate 124 and 148 pins, respectively. Molex intends to offer multiple orientation options to fit different system layouts, including right-angle, angled-exit, and vertical-exit designs. The widths of the connectors scale with their lane count, measuring 28 mm for x8, 47 mm for x16, and 57 mm for x20. The connectors also feature a height of 8.7 mm and a depth of 13.2 mm to cater to the needs of dense system designs.

With its 80 Gb/s transfer rate and a 120 Gb/s boost mode for high-performance displays, USB4 version 2 represents a major breakthrough in terms of connectivity. Unfortunately, for now, there are only two USB4 v2 controllers for PCs on the market: one from Apple, another from Intel (the JHL9580), so there is almost no way to add USB4 v2 to AMD platforms. Good news: this is going to change, as both ASMedia and Via Labs have revealed to Tom's Hardware that they are working on controllers set to launch in the next two years.

At Computex, we met with representatives from ASMedia and Via Labs, two well-known makers of external controllers for various connectivity standards. In fact, ASMedia develops chipsets for AMD. Both companies are working on USB 4 v2 controllers, yet ASMedia plans to release its chip towards the end of 2026, while Via Labs intends to launch its USB 4 v2 solution sometime in 2027. For now, it is not clear whether ASMedia and Via Labs are also developing USB4 v2 PHY in-house or plan to use an off-the-shelf offering from, say, Synopsys.

Releasing controller chips does not necessarily mean their immediate adoption by actual makers of motherboards and laptops. The controllers must pass certification procedures by the USB-IF and PCI-SIG, and then they must be qualified by motherboard and/or PC makers, which takes time.

That said, it is reasonable to expect PCs and motherboards with ASMedia’s USB4 v2 controllers to be introduced at CES 2027 and hit the market in early 2027. Until then, USB4 version 2 with an 80 Gb/s transfer rate and 120 Gb/s boost mode will be a prerogative of Apple and Intel-based machines.

Such a long development cycle for USB4 v2 controllers should not come as a surprise. USB4 version 2.0 represents a significant upgrade to USB4 by doubling the maximum symmetrical bandwidth from 40 Gbps to 80 Gbps and enabling a 120 Gbps asymmetric mode (3 transmit lanes, 1 receive lane) for high-resolution display use cases. But performance is perhaps not the key difference between USB4 and USB4 v2, as the latter introduces a new signaling method — PAM-3 — that transmits more bits per cycle than the NRZ encoding used in USB4 while still operating over existing certified USB-C cables. However, usage of PAM-3 comes at a price as encoding and decoding get significantly more tricky and demanding in terms of resources. The protocol support of USB4 v2 is also enhanced: it can tunnel faster protocols like PCIe 4.0 and DisplayPort 2.1, whereas USB4 is limited to PCIe 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a. Adding all these features and making sure they work takes a long time, which is why ASMedia and Via Labs will be two or three years late to market compared to Apple and Intel.

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) introduced the USB 2.0 standard on April 27, 2000, meaning this port speed is turning 25 years old today. The USB 2.0 standard pushed this interface to the mainstream, especially as it delivered a blazingly fast transfer speed (for its time) of 480 Mbps with its Hi-Speed USB. This was over 40 times faster than the 12 Mbps limit of USB 1.1 and was even faster than Apple’s first implementation of its proprietary FireWire 400 connector. More importantly, it was cheaper to implement than the latter, making it more attractive to motherboard manufacturers.

USB 2.0's early days

Despite the standard being released in 2000, German publication Heise [machine translated] reminds us that it took a couple more years before PC makers started putting USB 2.0 on their devices. VIA was the first company to deploy it, with its Southbridge VT8235 that had P4X333 and KT333 chipsets in 2002, with Apple followed suit in 2003 with its USB 2.0-equipped Macs. It wasn’t until 2004 that Intel released a Pentium 4 chipset that had USB 2.0 capabilities, despite it being one of the companies that spearheaded the development of the first USB standard.

Furthermore, there wasn’t widespread driver support for USB 2.0 when it launched. It took Windows XP almost a year to support the standard when Microsoft released Service Pack 1 in August 2002. It wasn’t until the release of Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 in June 2003 that the older operating system was able to take advantage of USB 2.0’s higher speeds. Windows 95 and 98, which were still quite popular at the turn of the century, did not receive native support for USB 2.0 at all, although Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) supported third-party drivers for the standard.

USB 2.0 helped replace the parallel and serial ports used for connecting peripherals to your computer. These old connectors were rather large and painfully slow, with the former’s highest bitrate limited to around 20 Mbps, while the latter could only hit 256 Kbps. Furthermore, USB 2.0 is decidedly more compact than those old standards, that used many more pins, and lacked the hot-swappable USB benefits.

This made USB 2.0 much more convenient to use. When paired with its cheaper licensing costs, it made absolute sense for manufacturers to implement USB 2.0 as the primary way for connecting peripherals and transferring data between devices. USB-IF also released several smaller connector types for USB, including USB Mini and USB Micro, which made it convenient to implement on more portable devices, like smartphones and tablets.

USB4 and beyond

On December 10, at the 38th Chaos Communication Congress (38C3, essentially a German tech conference for various hackers and other community members), hacker Benjojo discussed how he had successfully pushed Toslink traffic, generally limited to 10 meters over 143 kilometers. Then, yesterday, fellow hacker Manawyrm demonstrated IP-over-Toslink based on what that demonstration proved [h/t Hackaday]. The speeds are...not incredible since this cable isn't meant for this, but that it's possible at all is still cool.

So, what made it all possible? Benjojo uploaded a full-text version of his 38C3 conference speech to his blog, including the full technical details of how Toslink was at such an unreasonable 140+ kilometers. This move, apparently an exercise in learning more about optical data transmission, involved more than just sending unconventional data. Toslink is typically restricted to just 10 meters but was eventually tested and pushed as far as 143.2 kilometers, albeit with lots of separate contraptions and data center involvement required.

Benjojo proved that optical data transmission is impressive, and its complex rules remain in play even when restricted to yesteryear technology like a Toslink optical audio cable. However, for the typical user, Toslink cables are impractical for use as last-resort fiber networking cables, particularly when the speeds are capped at roughly 1,536 kbit/s or just 0.19 MB/s.

Meanwhile, Manawyrm's IP over the Toslink hack, detailed on her KittenLabs page, reflects real-world IP transmission speeds of about 1.47 Mb/s, or 0.18 MB/s. This isn't quite the maximum limit of Toslink (about 3% short), but it's probably as close as we're getting.

Manawyrm and Benjojo have proved that most optical data cables do almost the same. With the correct tweaks, specifically designed cables like Toslink can be extended to distances and formats beyond what their creators ever imagined.

There's a lot of beauty in that, and the technical expertise required in its execution speaks volumes of the determination necessary to push technology to its limits. Unfortunately, it is still a Toslink cable at the end of the day, so there's no practical use beyond what Benjojo and Manawyrm learned by pushing Toslink to its limits. Actual networking cables aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Sanwa Supply Inc., a leading Japanese company known for building peripherals and other accessories, like the USB foot pedals and MagSafe-like Ethernet cables, has just released a USB-C cable with a connector that bends by 180 degrees and rotates on its axis by 360 degrees. Japanese site ITmedia (machine translated) said that the company offers the USB-C to USB-C cable in two lengths—1 meter (approx. 3.2 feet) and 1.8 meters (approx. 5.9 feet)—and also has USB-A to USB-C cable (with only the USB-C end having the 360-degree rotating feature) in 1- or 2-meter lengths.

Unfortunately, both cable models are limited to USB 2.0 speeds, so it only has a maximum transfer speed of 480mbps. Nevertheless, the USB-C to USB-C model is rated as PD 240W, making it compatible for charging even the most power-hungry devices, like gaming laptops. On the other hand, the USB-A to USB-C option is compatible with Quick Charge 3.0, making it useful for charging the average smartphone. The design should reduce strain on your USB C ports, and make charging more convenient. You won't have to hold or position your device a certain wait to prevent long term damage on your USB-C port or cable.

The 1-meter USB-C to USB-C cable is priced at ¥2,580 while the longer 1.8-meter option is ¥2,780. This translates to about $16.46 for the shorter USB-C cable and $17.73 for the longer one. But if you only need one USB-C cable and don’t have use for the faster charging speed of PD 240W, the USB-C to USB-A option is cheaper at ¥1,980 for the 1-meter option (around $12.63) and ¥2,280 for the 2-meter model (about $14.54). This puts it at about the same price as other branded cables with a protective nylon covering, but you get more flexibility versus other competing USB-C cables.

The cable is not available on Amazon yet, so you’ll need to buy it directly from the Japanese site and find a way to have it shipped. There are other 360-degree charging cables that you can find on the eCommerce platform, but they’re all charging cables that do not allow data transfers. If you’re looking for another weird but useful product from Sanwa, the company just launched its wireless mouse receiver that also serves as a USB and HDMI hub, allowing you to use a 2.4G wireless mouse, plug an external monitor, and charge your laptop from a single USB-C port.

An Asus-branded Thunderbolt 5 expansion card has appeared on the firm's product pages. The new Asus ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card fits into a spare PCIe 4.0 x4 slot on your motherboard to provide a pair of the headlining Thunderbolt 5 ports and a trio of mini DisplayPorts to the rear of your chassis. Internally, the card also provides a Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 header, and you will need to attach it to your PSU (a single 6-pin) to enable up to 130W to connected devices.

Regular Tom's Hardware readers may have noticed Gigabyte launched a similar product last week, amusingly dubbed the Thunderbolts 5. We don't know how the plural got in there, but there are minor differences between the Gigabyte and the Asus card. If you were looking for one of these expansion cards, comparing the specs is probably worth comparing – just in case any minor differences are important to you.

Like the rival offering, the Asus ThunderboltEX 5 is based upon the Intel JHL9580 Thunderbolt 5 Controller. The expansion card bracket also has the same outputs: twin USB Type-C Thunderbolt 5 ports and three mini DisplayPorts. The DisplayPorts boost system display options by three 8K 60 Hz displays with DSC.

Viewing the Asus product overview and specs pages, bandwidth and power specs diverge slightly. Asus says this card's dual USB Type-C Thunderbolt 5 ports support "up to 120 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth" for super fast data transfers and video output. However, Gigabyte's specs say that its card delivers "up to 80 Gbps bi-directional bandwidth, or up to 120 Gbps single-direction bandwidth."

Things also look a little different regarding power delivery and charging support specs. The Asus card offers up to 130 watts of fast charging and 96W for one device. The firm says you'll need an Asus motherboard for that headlining figure. Meanwhile, Gigabyte says its card supports the PD 3.1 standard up to 100W. Interestingly, the Asus card only has one six-pin power connector, but the Gigabyte has two, so perhaps its USB-C ports can provide up to 100W power delivery.

The number and type of internal connectors differ further between these Thunderbolt 5 add-in card offerings. Asus has one Thunderbolt and one USB 2.0 header. Gigabyte's card has two Thunderbolt headers (a 5-pin and a 3-pin) and an internal USB header. It isn't clear whether the internal Thunderbolt connectors need to be attached to the system motherboard Thunderbolt headers for this card to function fully.

We don't have pricing or availability details yet for either product you might prefer. To enjoy the Thunderbolt 5 goodness provided by add-in cards like these, you will need a spare PCI Express 4.0 x4 slot (or better).

If you care to wait, MSI will also likely prepare a Thunderbolt 5 expansion card to follow up its previous-gen offerings.

Japanese electronics company Elecom has announced it will be introducing a pair of USB 80 Gbps cables in mid-December. The USB 80 Gbps interface is also sometimes referred to as USB4 Version 2. Each cable flaunts 80 Gbps operation but one is capable of just 60 Watts of power delivery, with the other offering a full-spec 240 Watts of power delivery. According to Elecom, this marks Japan's first officially certified USB 80Gbps 60W cable, and of course, the common DisplayPort Alt Mode feature works for both cables. The USB 80 Gbps version of DP Alt Mode can reach up to 8K at 60 Hz.

In case you aren't up to date with the current connection standards, widely available Thunderbolt 5 cables supporting all of the above standards except OCuLink have been on the Western market since June. Right now, the best options for eGPU users definitely start at OCuLink and then the 80 Gigabit-plus bandwidth versions of Thunderbolt 5 or what is basically USB4 v2, though officially dubbed USB 80 Gbps to distinguish purely by bandwidth. Interestingly in the case of USB 80 Gbps and older USB 40 Gbps (previously USB4) cables, you should still be able to do 80 Gbps over a standard USB4 cable as long as both the client and host device are updated to utilize USB 80 Gbps. Be sure the cable in question still meets your Power Delivery specification, though.

In any case, it's nice to see Japan get its first officially licensed USB 80 Gbps cable, particularly the 240-watt version as well. While we're sure Japanese users truly in need of those cables likely already imported them, it's still good for the Japanese market to get its own options that will likely be more readily available in electronics stores and the such. For most of our US readers, though, you'll probably be fine gunning for a Thunderbolt 5 cable to enjoy all the features of USB 80 Gbps with 40 Gbps extra bandwidth when connected to a display in 120 Gbps Boost Mode.

Almost a year after Thunderbolt 5's official debut, products utilizing the ultra-high-speed connectivity standard are finally materializing. Cable Matters has unveiled the world's first Thunderbolt 5 cable, offering the spec's full 120 Gbps of raw video bandwidth in 1 ft, 1.6 ft, and 3.3 ft lengths.

The cable manufactured by Lintes Technology is now available from Cable Matter's Amazon store. Pricing starts at $22.99 for the 1ft cable, while the 1.6 ft and 3.3 ft counterparts go for $26.99 and $32.99, respectively. Because Thunderbolt 5 only has one standard, the cable supports all of Thunderbolt 5's capabilities, including up to 240W of power delivery, backward compatibility with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports (as well as USB 4 and USB-Type-C), 120 Gbps of maximum video bandwidth in bandwidth boost mode, and up to 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth.

Thunderbolt 5 is the latest iteration of the Thunderbolt standard. The new standard was unveiled last year and is currently the most performant consumer-based connectivity standard the public can access. Thunderbolt 5 is founded on the USB 4 Version 2.0 standard, taking on all the features of its USB counterpart and adding one additional Thunderbolt-exclusive perk on top.

That perk is Thunderbolt 5's "bandwidth boost mode" that goes beyond USB 4 V2.0's maximum 80 Gbps bandwidth limit, providing a whopping 120 Gbps for displays only. This attribute was achieved by switching three of the four 40 Gbps lanes to transmit mode, boosting the specifications total bandwidth from 80 Gbps to 120 Gbps in one direction but limiting the receiving connection to 40 Gbps. This isn't a problem, though, for displays since the vast majority of data (video data) only needs to be sent in one direction). 120 Gbps was tested on USB 4 Version 2.0. Still, Thunderbolt 5 is the first to bring this capability to the market as a finished product.

Bandwidth mode will only be activated when enough displays or displays with a high enough resolution/refresh rate demand more than 80Gbps to operate at full speed. With this new bandwidth feature, Thunderbolt 5 can support multiple 8K displays and up to 4K 540Hz (or 8K 120Hz) refresh rates for hardcore gamers, boasting 50% more bandwidth compared to the already speedy DisplayPort 2.1 (which is the first DP standard so far to run 4K at 240Hz without DSC).

Thunderbolt 5 also takes advantage of PCIe Gen 4 for the first time, giving the standard up to 64Gbps of PCIe-specific bandwidth. This is aimed at data-hungry PCIe devices such as SSDs and external graphics cards (eGPU docks). The jump from Gen 3 to Gen 4 with Thunderbolt 5 dramatically improves the data PCIe Gen 4, and Gen 5 devices can consume through Thunderbolt 5-equipped hardware.

Cable Matters is the first cable manufacturer to debut a Thunderbolt 5 cable. Unfortunately, you won't be able to do much with it since no products on the market today take advantage of the new connectivity standard. We didn't see any products at Computex 2024 that utilize a Thunderbolt 5 Type-C port, so there's a good chance we will be waiting until very late 2024 or 2025 before Thunderbolt 5 PCIe cards, docking stations, and other Thunderbolt 5 devices arrive on the market.

Today, Intel announced the launch of Thunderbolt Share software, which is designed to be an easy, fast, and efficient way to share screens and files across two PCs. With a growing number of people across most PC segments using multiple computers, this new software is designed to allow customers to make the most of their PCs without bogging down WiFi or ethernet networks.

Thunderbolt Share will allow PC owners to connect their two computers with a wired connection that leverages Thunderbolt’s speed, low latency, and built-in security. It allows PC-to-PC access that shares the screen, keyboard, mouse, and storage. The software also enables folder synchronization or easy drag-and-drop file transfer between the computers.

According to Jason Ziller, Intel vice president and general manager of Client Connectivity, this technology “delivers on our aspiration to bring innovative solutions to the market and deliver new experiences for users to get the most out of their PCs.” Intel said that Thunderbolt Share will work with Thunderbolt 4 or 5 PCs, docks, and monitors.

In one use case scenario, you could quickly and easily transfer your data and files from an old PC to your new computer. This reduces the steps and time needed to get that new PC up and running. Previously, you would have to transfer the files to an external drive, unplug that drive, move it over to the new computer, and then plug it into that PC and copy the files. With Thunderbolt Share, you just connect the two PCs with a Thunderbolt cable, then drag and drop the files.

Thunderbolt Share also provides uncompressed screen sharing between two PCs in the original resolution of the source computer. It also claims low latency for a smooth, responsive experience that includes the screen, keyboard, and mouse with full HD screen mirroring at up to 60 frames per second (fps). Higher resolutions could result in fewer frames per second, but Ziller said it would still be a “great experience.”

Intel assured customers that security and privacy would not be compromised when using Thunderbolt Share. The software uses Intel VT-d-based data protection, honors User Access Control through Windows password-locked screens, and only allows certain operations to have local access.

The connection is also exclusive to the Thunderbolt Network for enhanced security.

Thunderbolt Share will initially support only Windows-based PCs. However, Ziller did say that Intel could explore expanding to other operating systems in the future.

Intel announced that Thunderbolt Share will be offered to select PCs and accessories in the second half of 2024. The tech giant said to look for upcoming announcements from Acer, Belkin, Kensington, Lenovo, MSI, Plugable, Promise Technology, and Razer. The tech giant said more partners are coming soon.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has just announced a new DisplayPort 2.1a standard which supports multi-resolution combinations and doubles its passive cable length from 1 to 2 meters. 

The new DP54 ultra-high bitrate (UHBR) cable introduces the UHBR13 specification and succeeds the DP40 specification which uses the UHBR10 standard. The new standard will be taken advantage of by different electronics, but will mainly be beneficial for ultra-widescreen and multi-display setups. 

The newer DP 2.1a cable allows a four-lane UHBR13.5 link rate to provide a data throughput of up to 54 Gbps over a two-meter cable. This is a breakthrough since the UHBR13.5 specification was only possible with a DP80 UHBR cable which is restricted to 1 meter cables.

This change in cable length and bandwidth increase is much appreciated and just in time for newer generation monitors, televisions, graphic cards and different types of sink (usually the display) & source devices for different uses. 

Cable Length Compatible with DP2.0 Standard

Users with UHBR13.5-supported hardware and cables allow higher resolution and refresh rate combinations up to 8K2K at 240 Hz or 8K4K at 120 Hz. The DP2.1a's two-meter cable length can be taken advantage of by the current-gen UHBR10 specification that's available on the DisplayPort 2.0 standard.

James Choate, the compliance program manager for VESA said a press release that "with the latest update to DisplayPort, the UHBR13.5 cable spec is now purpose-built to provide both UHBR10 and UHBR13.5 monitors and graphics cards with a longer passive cable. Consumers are no longer limited to connecting UHBR13.5 sink and source devices with a one-meter DP80 cable, which provides more bandwidth support than what their hardware needs and, in some cases, might be too short for their set-up, for example with ultra-wide curved displays."

Don't expect to see many devices take advantage of the new cables anytime soon. The recently-announced RTX 40 Super series graphics cards use DisplayPort1.4a output. The same can be said of the monitors announced during CES 2024. Sink and Source devices will take a long time to adopt DisplayPort 2.1a. 

VESA is ready for the distant future, but we'll only get to see this new standard widely adopted with graphic cards beyond RTX 50 Blackwell GPUs, which will use DisplayPort 2.0. Since DP 2.0 devices can take advantage of the added cable length, we might see this cable standard deployed during the RTX 50's lifecycle and for near-future high-resolution TVs. 

Nvidia's continuing issues with its first-gen 16-pin power connectors continue to intensify. Due to safety issues and reports of damage from melting connectors, CableMod has announced a recall on its 90-degree and 180-degree 16-pin adapters (ver 1.0 and 1.1) that are designed to work with Nvidia's failure-prone power connectors. CableMod will post an official notice with more details to its users in a few days. Still, it has pre-emptively advised users to stop using these adapters immediately, irrespective of signs of melting or overheating. In other news, reports of black screen issues with all 16-pin cables and connectors have also emerged, which we'll cover further below.

The custom cable provider made the announcement explaining the issue in its subreddit. The post states the company's 90-degree and 180-degree angled 12VHPWR adapters (v.1.0 and v1.1) are defective. If the connector comes loose, it can cause overheating and eventually melt the connector on the GPU.

Nvidia and its board partners do not cover damage to GPUs that use third-party power adaptors. Before the recall was announced, CableMod offered to repair affected GPUs whose RMA was refused because of their adapters. CableMod is known to send these impacted units to the repair shop NorthridgeFix.  

Reports of melting connectors on Nvidia's GPUs continue to mount — repair firm NorthridgeFix reported receiving an average of 100 burnt RTX 4090 GPUs monthly. Naturally, these repairs come from all users, not just those sent from CableMod. NorthridgeFix says that not all issues are due to user error; instead, they are often caused by adapters or cables, with the poorly designed 12VHPWR being the root cause. 

CableMod's new v1.1 power adapter was said to comply with PCI SIG CEM 5.1 specification and include an improved friction fit, but the problems obviously still persist. When the new v1.1 adapters were announced, the company provided these to v1 customers at no extra cost except for the shipping expenses. Fast forward to Dec. 2023, and CableMod is issuing a blanket recall. 

Other issues with 12VHPWR cables

CableMod's safety recall applies to adapters and not cables, but there are a plethora of complaints of a different nature found in its subreddit: Unlike the issue with the adapter, this issue isn't exclusive to CableMod because adaptors and cables from power supply manufacturers and Nvidia and its AIC partners are known to have the same problem. This issue with 16-pin GPUs causes blank screens and the fan to run at 100% while the system is still active.

For this issue, CableMod suggests changing the Nvidia GPU power management mode to 'Prefer maximum performance' via Nvidia's control panel. The firm admits this isn't guaranteed to fix everyone's problems, though it does work for some. This issue is not exclusive to RTX 4090 either, as it happens on any Nvidia GPU with the 12VHPWR connector. 

Other problems persist as well. We expressed certain concerns when Akasa introduced 12VHPWR converters, adapters, and cables as its solution potentially introduces more points of failure. A plethora of third-party adaptors of questionable quality from lesser-known companies are also concerning, as it appears that the initial revision of the 12VHPWR standard presents a serious potential fire and electric hazard.

Nvidia silently moved to a purportedly safer 12x6 connector that might be used by default on some of the upcoming RTX 40 Super series graphics cards, but the company's complete radio silence on the matter has left users in the dark.  

In the meantime, it is best if the users stick to the adapters and cables provided by the GPU manufacturer, therefore limiting your RMA trip down to one company if you face the worst-case scenario.

USB Type-C may be the solution to a lot of tech problems, but we can't say we expected it to solve issues coming from nature. A German company called Kamedi is selling the 'Heat-It' USB Type-C dongle that it claims can relive or heal itchy bites or stings from mosquitoes, horseflies and wasp.  

This little device can fit in your phone's Type-C port and has a metal surface on the other side that generates heat. When you plug it into your phone (there are Android and iOS apps), you can customize the duration of the heat treatment (or use a child-friendly or sensitive skin mode to turn the temperature down a bit). The 'cure' works by applying heat of a out 51 degrees Celsius (123.8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the bite.

Kamedi points to a research study published in the Swedish journal Acta Dermato-Venereologica to back up its claims. The study, which specifically uses the Heat-It, claims to be "the first published controlled real-world study of the use of concentrated heat to alleviate itch induced by insect bites or stings," and states that the findings "demonstrate a significant reduction in itch and pain using local heat application after insect bites or stings, based on data derived from a large data set with more than 12,000 registered treatments from more than 1,700 individuals."

Why Not a Cup of Tea?

This is a high-tech solution to a problem that people have attempted for a long time. One could simply use a cup with a hot beverage in it to do the same job, or a hot spoon run under boiling water. But if you're outdoors hiking, you may not have access to those. But the dongle also helps apply heat to a more specific area where you get the bite.

And since the app has customization for heat and duration, you can make customizations that you couldn't to a hot spoon. 

Prevention is better than a cure, so your best bet is probably a good bug spray. And while this may be a high-tech solution to a low-tech problem, at least the USB-C standard means you could try this on either iPhone (thanks to the European Union) or Android.

We haven't given these things a try, but proponents of the USB-C standard who also get lots of bug bites can find this gizmo on Amazon US and UK. 

Counterfeit HDMI cables seem to be a big problem in high-tech Taiwan. Public service broadcaster PTS and the Liberty Times both published reports on Wednesday, sharing news of a police raid that netted 3,037 counterfeit HDMI cables from online sellers based in several major cities. According to reports, the seized goods had an “infringement market value” of over TWD$80 million (USD$2.6 million).

While the PTS reports characterize online sellers of counterfeit HDMI products as “unscrupulous operators,” the Police Department’s view seems to be less judgmental. For example, a police captain is quoted as saying that both the public and online sellers misunderstand HDMI. They typically think it is just the name of a connector or wire, and don’t know it is a registered trademark, reasoned the law enforcement official. However, products using the HDMI standard technology and / or trademark need to come from license fee-paying companies.

To try and raise awareness that HDMI isn’t just a cable name that can be used by anybody, the HDMI Association had a presence at Computex this summer, where a second-generation anti-counterfeiting certification label was launched. Customers are supposed to look for official labels, which integrate anti-counterfeiting measures such as patterns, holographic elements, and QR codes.

So, how big is the scale of the counterfeit HDMI cable problem in Taiwan? We've already mentioned that counterfeit HDMI goods were seized to an “infringement market value” of approximately USD$2.6 million in just one day this week. That seems a lot of money for 3,037 seized goods, and would indicate a value of USD$850 per item… We wonder if the sum includes licensing fines and / or damages. The Taiwanese reports also cite statistics that suggest that between 2022 and August 2023 counterfeit HDMI products worth nearly TWD$4 billion (USD$128 million) were sold on the island.

The HDMI Association will be filing lawsuits against the counterfeiters. However, the reports emphasize that police action should also protect consumers from cables that are of poor quality. It was warned that cables that have been manufactured without following HDMI standards and guidelines might not provide a good or consistent signals and might be poorly made. They might also have the potential to cause electrical fires.

In the meantime, we had a quick check through Shopee online marketplace listings in Taiwan and there still seems to be a plethora of suspicious HDMI cables for sale. For reference, NTD$100 is just USD$3.20.

Intel launched its 14th Gen "Raptor Lake Refresh" desktop processors earlier this week, including the Intel Core i9-14900K, i7-14700K and i5-14600K. Upon the announcement, Intel initially stated that 14th Core desktop chips would support Thunderbolt 5, the latest version of the specification. But Intel has now said that while some 14th gen chips will work with Thunderbolt 5, that's not the case for these desktop chips.

"While some processors in the Intel Core 14th Gen processor family will include support for Thunderbolt 5, Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processors, specifically, will not support it," an editors' note appended to Intel's initial announcement reads. "The Intel Core 14th Gen launch announcement incorrectly said, 'Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processors include support for … upcoming Thunderbolt 5 wired connectivity – supporting up to 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth.' Intel will share additional details on Intel Core 14th Gen CPUs that support Thunderbolt 5 at a later date."

To some degree, this isn't a huge surprise. The Raptor Lake Refresh chips are just that — refreshes and the underlying design is the same as 13th Gen but optimized for better performance. So it's not exactly shocking that Intel didn't go in and add support for Thunderbolt 5 on desktops.

Without desktop processors supporting Thunderbolt 5, it seems that where we'll see the new connection spec is on laptops, probably on the Intel Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" chips. Thunderbolt 4 (and previous versions of Thunderbolt) have been far more prolific on mobile devices with Intel chips than on desktop. There isn't a huge variety of desktop motherboards featuring the port. (Getting into machines with AMD chips is another bag of worms.)

Intel gave the Thunderbolt specification to the USB-IF standards committee. As deputy managing editor Paul Alcorn explained when Thunderbolt 5 was announced, "Thunderbolt 5 leverages the foundational aspects of the latest USB specification, USB 4 Version 2.0 in this case, but requires that all of the optional features be enabled to earn the Thunderbolt 5 badge."

Thunderbolt 5 has an evenly distributed 80 Gbps of bandwidth to transmit and receive data at the same rate. However, when there are higher display bandwidth needs, it can boost to 120 Gbps transmitting, making it faster than DisplayPort 2.1. Thunderbolt 5 can support up to two 6K monitors and three 4K monitors at 144 Hz, along with the option for 8K HDR.

Additionally, Thunderbolt 5 cables will support up to 240W charging on laptops. You can learn the latest specs features at our rundown of the announcement from earlier this year.

CableMod introduced its original 12VHPWR angled adapter promising that it would solve overheating and melting issues surrounding Nvidia's adapter, but its aftermarket adapters appeared to also be prone to failures. Recently the company rolled out version 1.1 of its 12VHPWR angled adapters that adopt the new PCI SIG CEM 5.1 specification.

CableMod's 12VHPWR V1.1 (12V-2x6) angled adapter offers CEM5.1 compliance and is said to offer an improved friction-fit of the male connector which removes the wiggle between PCB and male connector. The device costs $39.90/€39.90 and is designed to solve issues with overheating and melting 12VHPWR dongles and adapters, both from makers of graphics cards and CableMod itself.

The updated PCI SIG 5.1 (12V-2×6) plug presents several modifications when compared to the original 12VHPWR connector. Firstly, the depth of the power terminal has been expanded from 4.2 mm to 4.45 mm. In addition, the sideband pin array's opening has been widened, moving from the previous measurements of 1.6 mm × 9.3 mm to 1.70 mm × 9.4 mm. One of the most notable changes, however, is the reduction of the sense pin length from 4 mm to 2.5 mm, ensuring that the power header is fully integrated with the connector. 

This adjustment is especially vital for safety reasons. If power connector is not adequately connected, the power supply avoids entering high power modes. This prevention mechanism stops potential overheating and possible melting situations, especially when a graphics card is drawing considerable energy. 

In response to the issues with the 12VHPWR connector, the PCI SIG set clear specifications for the new PCI SIG 5.1 (12V-2×6) design. They mandated a minimum current rating of 9.2A per pin, ensuring a temperature rise limit doesn't exceed 30 degrees Celsius above the ambient temperature at 12V DC. These connectors will bear an embossed H mark. Moreover, even if a single pin can manage a current of 9.2A, the entire assembly's current should not cross 55A RMS in either direction. The design also specifies the use of 16 AWG wires and pins and mandates that the connector can resist a pulling force of a minimum of 45.00N. 

One of the interesting things about the new 12VHPWR V1.1 (12V-2x6) adapter is that CableMod gives owners of the original adapter a $39.90/€39.90 coupon to buy themselves the new version of the device. Essentially, owners of the version 1.0 can get themselves a 12VHPWR V1.1 (12V-2x6) adapter for free.

Hardware Busters (helmed by Tom's Hardware alum,  Aris Mpitziopoulos) recently had an opportunity to test the new 12V-2x6 power connector to see how the new connector performs in both optimal and... less-than-optimal use cases. Hardware Busters found that the new connector performs significantly better than its 12VHPWR predecessor, and operates at substantially lower temperatures even when under high amounts of cable stress.

The hardware reviewer tested the new connector at Linewell, a manufacturer that makes power cables for companies such as Asus. For testing, Hardware Busters monitored the cable in two scenarios, one where the cable was fully plugged in, and the other where it was only partially inserted. In both scenarios, the cable was delivering its full 660W power rating, to fully stress the connector.

In both scenarios, Hardware Busters found that the new 12V-2x6 connector had no problems outputting the full 660W of power, with thermal readings that were well below dangerous levels, even when the cable wasn't fully inserted. Ironically, the 12V-2x6 power connector does such a good job transmitting power through its pins, that the thermal output of the connector was 5.5 degrees Celsius lower when operating in a partially inserted state, compared to running the connector properly inserted.

Hardware Busters says the shortened connecting pins on the new connector only constitute part of the reason why the new connector works so well, in reference to the 12VHPWR connector. The primary upgrade that makes the connector work really well, even with an improper insertion, is its more conductive connecting pins that lower the voltage resistance of power coming through the connector. According to Hardware Busters, the lower resistance pins are the reason why thermals are so low, to the point where overheating is nearly impossible even with improper insertions.

It's great to see that the new 12V-2x6 power connector fixes most, if not all, of the problems of the original 12VHPWR connector, especially with regard to overheating. The 12VHPWR power connector was infamous for its tendency to overheat, particularly when its associated power cable was stressed too much and/or the connector was improperly inserted. This was particularly problematic on the RTX 4090, which could get very close to maxing out the 12VHPWR's 600W power rating.

Thankfully, we've already seen a couple of Nvidia graphics cards quietly get transitioned to the new 12V-2x6 connector, including the RTX 4090, and the RTX 4070. Nvidia is likely upgrading other RTX 40 series GPUs to the new 12V-2x6 connector, but we haven't received confirmation of it just yet.

Today, Intel announced the new Thunderbolt 5 specification, which is designed to deliver up to 120 Gbps of bandwidth in a new Bandwidth Boost mode, provides universal cabling support for 240W charging, and steps up to 64 Gbps of PCIe throughput, among other advances.

As we've seen with previous Thunderbolt implementations after Intel donated the spec to the USB-IF standards committee, Thunderbolt 5 leverages the foundational aspects of the latest USB specification, USB 4 Version 2.0 in this case, but requires that all of the optional features be enabled to earn the Thunderbolt 5 badge. Intel says that Thunderbolt 4 and 5 will co-exist for the next several years, or longer, with the new spec slotting in as the premium tier. 

In certain circumstances, Thunderbolt 5 can boost up to 120 Gbps, or three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 and 50% faster than the native DisplayPort 2.1 connector. The shift to Bandwidth Boost mode occurs automatically when you connect a display or multiple displays that require higher bandwidth due to high refresh rates and/or resolutions.

By default, the Thunderbolt 5 interface operates in standard mode at 80 Gbps, with four 40 Gbps pipelines operating in pairs of two for transmit and receive operations at a bi-directional 80 Gbps. As Intel has demoed with a prototype in the past, the new Bandwidth Boost mode uses three of the 40 Gbps pipelines in transmit mode to deliver up to 120 Gbps of transmit speed, albeit at the cost of stepping down to a 40 Gbps receive rate.

As a result, Thunderbolt 5 supports up to two 6K monitors and three 4K monitors at 144 Hz, along with 8K HDR monitors. It also now supports three DisplayPort screens, up from two with Thunderbolt 4.

The connection also provides twice the PCIe throughput as the previous-gen, moving from 32 Gbps (PCIe 3.0) up to 64 Gbps (PCIe 4.0), which is great for connected devices like SSDs and external graphics cards while also improving the interfaces' Thunderbolt networking bandwidth. This speed bump is nice, but it is noteworthy that most PCIe 5.0 SSDs are still faster than the PCIe 4.0 throughput available with Thunderbolt 5. Additionally, the PCIe lanes are carved up in x4 increments, regardless of lane allocations, so x8 devices (like GPUs) won't run at full x8 bandwidth.

All Thunderbolt 5 cables will now support up to 240W charging (USB-PD EPR spec), eliminating the need for the different USB power ratings we see with USB 4 cables. This will allow all high-power devices, such as laptops and workstations, to be charged with a single cable, whereas some current implementations require two cables to charge at 240W. Thunderbolt 5 does not require that a Thunderbolt 5-equipped device have a 240W charging port, though. As with Thunderbolt 4, the new spec requires the device to have at least one 100W charging port and a 15W accessory port. 

As before, Thunderbolt 5 cables and ports will have a simplified branding scheme. The cables will continue to require certification that they run at the full speed and power requirements of the spec, thus earning the Thunderbolt 5 badge.

The new interface uses PAM-3, allowing 1.5 bits to be transmitted per clock cycle (3 bits per two cycles) instead of the one bit per cycle with Thunderbolt 4's NRZ (PAM-2) implementation. This increases bandwidth via improved encoding, and the spec also increases the signaling clock rate -- but only slightly. This slight clock rate increase allows using many existing passive 1-meter cables and doesn't require fundamental changes to PCB design, thus keeping costs in check. However, all 2-meter Thunderbolt 4 cables require a redriver, which will need to be updated to newer redriver versions with Thunderbolt 5 — those could take a bit longer to come to market. 

Thunderbolt 4 is baked natively into Intel's current line of chips (they don't require a discrete external chip), but Thunderbolt 5 is not — at least not yet. Intel says that systems with Thunderbolt 5 will come to market in 2024, but not whether it will be enabled natively in its Meteor Lake chips, rumored to be the first chips with native Thunderbolt 5 support. 

For now, Thunderbolt 5 will officially come to market in computers and accessories that use Intel's discrete Barlow Ridge chip. Intel hasn't provided many details on this chip yet, like power consumption figures or the process node, but says it can be used with any host system. That means AMD and Arm systems can leverage the Thunderbolt 5 spec, if certified. As before, Intel doesn't charge licensing fees to use Thunderbolt, but external labs certify vendors' products for a fee. Those fees only cover the cost of testing and aren't given to Intel.

The Thunderbolt 5 interface is also compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and 4, USB 3 and 4, and DisplayPort 2.1. 

Intel positions Thunderbolt 5 for creators and gamers, saying they need the increased throughput for high-performance devices. Thunderbolt 4 is required for Evo and vPro-certified devices, but Thunderbolt 5 support will not be — Thunderbolt 5 will slot in as the premium tier of connectivity performance, and Intel says Thunderbolt 4 will continue to serve as the primary interface of choice for mainstream and business users for several years, if not longer. Thunderbolt 5 will arrive in 2024. 

Plugable, the Washington-based company specializing in docking stations and USB peripherals has unveiled a new USB 4 docking station that’s turning heads. The UD-4VPD supports USB 4 alongside Thunderbolt 4 with the impressive ability to provide output to two 4K monitors at 120 Hz. It’s officially been released today through numerous vendors including Newegg and Amazon which already has a coupon available for the new dock.

The output performance will vary depending on the specifications of the machine you’re using with the UD–4VPD. Under optimal conditions, you can use two 4K monitors at 120 Hz or get one 8K monitor to output at 60H z. Plugable has compatibility details available on their website which confirm you can also get two 8K screens to output at 30 Hz if your machine has Windows 10 or Windows 11 with USB4, Thunderbolt 4, and DisplayPort 1.4 HBR3 and DSC.

The docking station has 11 ports total which include two HDMI 2.1 ports, three USB 4 ports, one USB Type-C with 20W for charging devices, an SD card reader, a microSD card reader, a 3.5 mm combo audio jack, a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 100W charging port.

The docking station is capable of charging laptops with up to 100W. However, you can use laptops with it that require less power. The USB-C port has a 20W output that makes it possible to charge other devices simultaneously like phones, tablets, etc. The new dock is supported by a 2-year warranty from Plugable as well as a 30-day return policy from Amazon or Newegg. Visit the Plugable UD-4VPD USB4 Docking Station product page at Amazon to get the best offer using the $15 coupon. As of writing, it’s not clear for how long it will be made available.

Are your USB ports boring? Do they need some RGB? Well, this $6 USB 2.0 Type-A port from Tensility International Corporation, listed via Digi-Key aims to light up your dark and dreary USB ports. Hat tip to Arturo182 for bringing this to our attention.

Rated for up to 30V at 3A (90W via USB A?), this RGB USB port uses an RGB LED with a common anode connected to the power pin. The colors can then be mixed by controlling the state of each color's cathode pin. Controlling those pins would be the job of a microcontroller, perhaps the Raspberry Pi Pico's RP2040 on a custom PCB. In the datasheet, we can see that there are two rows of pins. Those nearer the front of the USB port handle the standard USB 2 duties. The rear four pins are for the LEDs in a Blue, Green, Voltage, and Red configuration. The additional LED pins mean we can't just drop this part into an existing board. Instead, they must be installed into a custom board with traces routed to send signals to the RGB LED. It also looks like a typical USB A port, ready for soldering into a 1.6mm or less thick PCB. 

As we have already noted, this port is capable of up to 90W of power delivery, so an interesting use case would be to set the RGBs to denote a set voltage. Using a buck converter or voltage regulator, we could set the appropriate voltage and trigger the microcontroller to illuminate a color to indicate. Say red for 30V, green for 12V and blue for 5V? A simple flick of a switch would set the voltage and trigger the color change. Or we could use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to mix a specific color for voltages in between. While this won't be as clear as using a NeoPixel of APA102 RGB LED, it will get the job done.

This through-hole component is available via "cut tape" and "reel." The former enables small amounts to be purchased for short runs / individual projects. The latter is favored by manufacturers who will load the reel ready for a pick and place machine to place the components on a run of boards.

If you are designing your own product or have the skills to retrofit the port into an existing build (not something we recommend), then $6 isn't a lot to ask for a little bling.

AudioQuest has produced an Ethernet cable which is destined to be a lure for the audiophile. The AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet cable promises "superior digital audio." On the product page blurb, the company claims that this cable uses the highest quality materials, as well as techno-babble enhancements like “critical signal-pair geometry, Dielectric Bias-System, [and] Noise-Dissipation System.” Apparently, these technologies stop your ones and zeros from being damaged.  Oh, and it is priced from $1,295.

With its lofty price tag and product name containing ‘diamond’, it is somewhat deflating to study the specifications and see there are no actual diamonds within the product.  The aforementioned Noise-Dissipation System (DNS) is said to be carbon-based, though. AudioQuest explains that the Ethernet cable uses metal and carbon-loaded synthetics to shield and protect your wiring from RFI.

While diamonds were obviously beyond budget, AudioQuest uses “Solid Perfect-Surface Silver Conductors” for utmost clarity and dynamic contrast. In its elaborated claims, it says that these PSS conductors will “completely eliminate strand interaction,” with the effect of minimizing distortion. Audiophiles listen up, the silver connectors are also useful for outputting “clearer, more dynamic and involving sound,” too.

AudioQuest’s Dielectric Bias System (DBS) is also worth closer inspection for signs of cod science. This battery powered feature is claimed to prevent signal slowdown, which would be "a real problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio," passing through your Ethernet cable. Just in case your ears don’t alert you the very moment the DBS battery goes flat, AudioQuest has installed a test button and LED for battery checking purposes.

Last but not least, it is great to see that AudioQuest has directional arrows on its cables, to help with proper installation orientation. “For best results have the arrow pointing in the direction of the flow of music,” from router to network player, says the cable maker.

The AudioQuest RJ/E Diamond Ethernet cable is priced at $1,295 for a 0.75 meter length, or $1,995 for a 1.5 meter length. Shipping is free from the source linked, and buyers are offered a 60-day satisfaction guarantee.

While that's a ton of money for an Ethernet cable, there are people out there who will stop at nothing to achieve their dream audiophile PC build, even if that means dropping a lot of money on rather short Ethernet cables. Perhaps it will be used alongside products like the $500 Audiophile SATA SSD cable we highlighted last week, the Audiophile SSD, or the Audiophile Ethernet Switch.

You can never have too many screens at your desk. I have four different 27-inch 4K monitors attached to my desktop at home and sometimes I wish I had even more. Unfortunately, if you have a laptop and you're looking to go with a quad-display setup, you don't have a lot of compelling choices as most docking stations top out at two monitors.

Announced today, Plugable's new TBT4-UDZ docking station supports up to four, 4K 60 Hz displays via its two DisplayPort and two HDMI outputs. On Macs with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, you can only use two monitors, a limitation of that platform.

The attractive, metal dock sits vertically or horizontally and connects to your laptop's Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 port via a single cable that can also provide up to 100W of charging. 

In addition to its video outputs, the TBT4-UDZ comes loaded with ports, including a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet connection, a single USB-C 10 Gbps port, three USB Type-A 10 Gbps ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-A ports, a USB 2.0 TYpe-A port, a 3.5mm audio jack, an SD card reader and a microSD card reader. There's even a power button, something most docks don't have.

A couple of years ago, I tested Plugable's TBT3-UDZ, which is a predecessor to the TBT4-UDZ, but it supports only two monitors and operates over Thunderbolt 3. I was really impressed with the attractive design, strong performance and strong build quality of this prior model. With my ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen), I had no problem connecting to two 4K monitors and playing video at 60 fps. 

The TBT4-UDZ is listed on Amazon right now and will start selling for $299 on January 17th. If you've got a laptop with Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 output and you want to use it with three or four displays, this could be a great choice.

Every PC owner needs at least one USB hub to add ports, put connections within easy reach, or supply more power for charging / operation than your computer delivers on its own. One glance at the USB hub listings on Amazon will tell you that the market is full of choices, from tiny portable hubs that you can stash in a small pocket of your bag to large, powered hubs you'll want to keep on your desk.

Though there are plenty of choices, not all of them rank as the best USB hubs, and not all will meet your needs. To help you choose, we've tested more than dozens of models with different capabilities and listed the very best USB hubs on this page. We've also got some tips for picking the right type of USB hub, which you'll find below our product picks.

To find the best USB hub for your needs, consider the following:

Best USB Hubs You Can Buy Today

Best Desktop USB Hub

Getting a desktop USB hub like the Sabrent HB-B7C3 will change your tech life, both because of the amount of ports it has and because you can turn each one on and off. Sabrent's powered hub has a whopping ten USB Type-A ports, seven of which can do data transfer with the remaining three serving as changing ports only, capable of delivering more wattage to juice your phone, headset or tablet.

Each USB port has its own dedicated power button and, unlike with some competitors we tested, Sabrent's port buttons depress quickly, and have solid mechanical switches that make a pleasant clicky noise and stay in the up or down position. There's also a cool-looking blue status light to let you know whether a port is on or off.

I have been using the Sabrent HB-BUP7, the nearly-identical 7-port sibling to the HB-B7C3, as my daily driver for more than a year, and having these buttons is a real game changer. Changing default audio devices in Windows is a royal pain, requiring one to go into the control panel to, for example, make sound come out of your headset instead of your speakers. But with the power switches, I just turn off my USB speaker and turn on the wireless headphone dongle, or vice versa.

Anyone who works with microcontrollers such as the Raspberry Pi Pico or any Arduino board knows that most of these devices don't have on / off switches or even reset buttons. So, if you change code and need to restart them or you just want to power them off, you often need to yank the plug in and out, a huge hassle that could damage your gear. But with the Sabrent HB-B7C3, you can just toggle power on whatever port your microcontroller is plugged into.

The build quality on Sabrent's 10-port USB hub is the best we've seen on any hub we've tested. The clean lines, compact shape and tasteful lights and buttons make this look like a truly premium product. Having seven different data ports means that you can have all of your peripherals plugged in – your mouse, keyboard, webcam, microphone, 2FA key, speakers and headphones – and still have a port or two to spare.

The hub is powered by a massive 60-watt power adapter that looks like a laptop brick (we wish it were smaller). Sabrent boasts that the 3 charging ports deliver 2.4 amps of power while the data ports max out at 0.9 amps. As we found out when we we plugged our power load tester into the ports, both the charging and data ports are capable of delivering as much as 3.8 or 4.9 amps but only if you drop the voltage down to 4.05 volts (on all USB chargers, the volts go down if you request too many amps).

At 4.8 volts, which is around the minimum voltage most USB devices will tolerate, we got 1.25 and 1.32 amps from the charging and data ports, respectively. When I plugged my Android phone in to charge, a real-world situation because a device will negotiate the best combination of volts and amps, the charging ports sent 4.78 volts at 1.35 amps while the data ports gave the same amount of volts, but just 0.35 amps. To make a long story short, you'll get 6.4 watts from the charging ports, which is decent but not the 15-watts that fast phone chargers provide. All three charging ports should be able to deliver this at once.

All of the HB-B7C3's data ports operate at 5 Gbps and, in our tests, there was no drop off in speed from transferring data from our external SSD through the hub (versus directly connected to the PC). The 2-foot detachable upstream cable is helpful but we need an extension cable to reach all the way to the back of our desktop PC.

At $44 at press time, the Sabrent HB-B7C3 doesn't come cheap, but it's definitely worth the price. If you don't need the charging ports, you can save a little cash and desk space with the 7-port, Sabrent HB-BUP7 ($38 at press time), which also has a smaller power adapter. You can also splurge for the Sabrent HB-BU10 ($60 at press time), which has 10 data ports and no charging ports.

Best Premium USB Hub for MacBooks and Ultrabooks

All MacBooks and many of the best Ultrabooks come with only USB-C ports, and just a couple of them. That’s why there are so many portable USB hubs that connect to a computer via a built-in USB-C cable and then provide a few Type-A ports, along with some extra goodies such as an HDMI out or a card reader. Plugable's 9-in-1 USB-C Hub fixes that, by adding 4K HDMI, 140W pass-through charging, Gigabit Ethernet, four USB-data ports, and both SD and microSD card readers.

The pass-though charging port means, so long as you provide your own USB-C charger, you can power your laptop and other devices though the hub with one cable – a handy feature when you're on the go and don't have a lot of desk space. Similarly, the Pluggable hub's narrow design with the ports all on one side helps save space while keeping things tidy. And its metal shell feels like it can hold up to life on the road, frequently being tossed in a bag as you rush to your gate.

On our testing, copying a 50 GB test folder, we saw 621 MBps write speeds and read speeds of 830 MBps. Just keep in mind that file transfers will be slower if you have multiple bandwidth-heavy devices connected to the hub, as the upstream port is 10 Gbps. If you're frequently moving large files across storage devices and speed is important, you'll want a dock with a Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 upstream port for more bandwidth.

While the Plugable 9-in-1 hub delivers most of the ports you're likely to need without stepping up to something larger and pricier (typically a proper dock), its single 10 Gbps USB-C data port may be limiting as more and more modern devices connect over the newer interface. I'd love to see another USB-C data port here, because the second Type-C port on this hub is strictly for power passthrough.

Best USB Hub for iPads

Sometimes you just need a few extra USB Type-A ports on your laptop or desktop and you don’t want something that takes up a lot of space in your bag or on your table. At just 0.39 inches thick and 3.68 inches long, Anker’s 4-port Ultra Slim is very discrete. The hub has a built-in, 2-foot cable that’s long enough for any portable use, though you may want to use the attached hook and loop cable tie to keep it from getting tangled.

The Anker 4-Port Ultra Slim, as its name suggests, has four USB 3.x Type-A outputs and a single built-in Type-A upstream cable. As with every other hub on this list, we tested the Ultra Slim and found that it did not have any effect on transfer rates, providing our external SSD the same read and write speeds it got when connected directly to our laptop.

Though it has a very reasonable price ($12.99 at press time), Anker’s hub seems to have very solid build quality compared to some competitors, with a hard matte black plastic shell that shows no obvious seams and an attractive blue power light, though the casing got a little scratched as we carried it around. The Anker hub’s premium design stands in stark contrast to another cheap hub we tested, the Atolla USB 3.0 Hub Splitter, which has a glossy plastic shell with a line down the middle where two pieces of plastic were clearly glued or snapped together (and I fear could come apart some day).

Best USB-C Hub, Best Affordable USB Hub for MacBooks

Sabrent's HB-U3CR looks like it was built for MacBooks, thanks to a gunmetal gray aluminum chassis and a stylish, slanted design that will prop it up at an insertion-friendly angle on any table. However, it's an equally strong choice for use with a PC laptop that has USB-C ports and needs a few USB Type-A connections.

The HB-U3CR's small size and built-in cable make it easy to throw into your laptop bag, but a magnetic sticker that comes with it allows you to set up a permanent spot on your desk where you can attach and detach it, without fear of it falling over when you tug on the wire. It has three USB Type-A 3.x (5 Gbps) ports and a card reader that supports both microSD and SD cards, a boon for folks who are either using a digital camera or working with Raspberry Pis (which use microSD cards as their boot drives).

On our tests, the Sabrent HUB-U3 did not introduce any lag into file transfers, which means it won't hurt your performance. However, like most USB hubs on the market, it is limited to 5 Gbps, so that’s the top speed even if you connect it to a thunderbolt port and 10 Gbps USB peripheral. The 2-foot, built-in USB cord is about standard for a portable hub, but could be too short if you plan to use it with a desktop PC that you keep on the floor or far from your peripherals.

Best 10 Gbps, Type-A USB Hub

If you're using an external storage device – perhaps an NVMe drive you've put in one of the best SSD enclosures – you’d benefit a great deal from using a hub that supports 10 Gbps connections – alternatively known as USB 3.1 Gen 2 or USB 3.2 Gen 2. Unfortunately, very few USB hubs actually support these higher speeds and even fewer still support the 10 Gbps speed when it comes from a Type-A, rather than a Type-C, port.

The Inatek HB2025AL gives you four USB Type-A 10 Gbps output ports and one upstream Type-A 10 Gbps connector that's on a built-in cable. Considering that few laptops have USB Type-A ports that support 10 Gbps and few desktops have 10 Gbps Type-A ports on the front panel, you're probably going to be plugging this into the back of your motherboard. The model we tested was actually the HB2025A, which has a 1.6-foot cable, but we're recommending you spend an extra dollar or two to get the HB2025AL which has a 3.3-foot cable instead. Even 3.3 feet could be short if you're working with a desktop that’s on the floor.

You can also get other versions of Inatek's USB hub, the HB2025 for example, that connect to your computer via USB-C, which is a more common interface for 10 Gbps connections, particularly on laptops. We really wish one of these hubs had a mix of USB-C and USB Type-A downstream ports, but they are all Type-A downstream.

No matter what version of Inatek's hub you choose, the 10 Gbps connection is very welcome if you're working with external drives. Our test laptop did not have a USB Type-A 10 Gbps port so we connected the hub to a port on the back of our desktop and got read-and-write transfer rates of 684.7 and 492 MBps on our DiskBench 25GB test. By way of comparison, we got rates of 358.1 and 274.8 MBps when connected to a standard 5 Gbps port on our laptop, so the 10 Gbps speed makes quite a bit of difference.

Best USB-C expansion hub

While many new devices have shifted to using USB-C over the older USB-A standard for connectivity, the USB-C port count hasn't exactly kept up, whether you're using a laptop with a couple of the oval connectors or a desktop, which at most likely has two around back, plus one on the front panel. The Mokin 5-IN-1 10 Gbps USB-C to USB-C Hub solves the USB-C scarcity issue by turning one of those ports into four – or technically five.

The slim metal-wrapped hub has four USB-C ports running down one side, all running at up to 10 GBps. One of the ports is labeled for monitors and supports 4K, 60 Hz via DisplayPort over USB-C. A fifth USB-C port lives on the end of the hub, supporting up to 100W of power delivery (if you bring your own charger). This lets you push up to 85W to your laptop, while the rest is used to juice devices plugged into the hub.

As with all multi-port 10 Gbps hubs, your bandwidth is going to be limited by the upstream capabilities. So don't expect to connect multiple fast storage devices and expect them all to run at full speed. But if you need more USB-C ports to connect peripheral dongles or other accessories, the Mokin hub is a great option to ease your USB-C port anxiety, without spending a lot of money. It's often on sale for less than $30.

Just know that you'll need to connect to a power source via the port on the end for higher-drain devices. This hub often disconnected when plugged into my desktop's front-panel USB-C port and running an external SSD. But when connected to the ports on the back of my PC or to a USB PD power source, I had no issues with the hub not performing as expected. I saw write speeds using a 50GB test folder of 689 MBps and read speeds of 612 MBps – this isn't the fastest 10 Gbps hub, but beyond benchmarks, it's speedy enough for mainstream tasks.

Best Cheap Power-Switching USB Hub

This is a budget-friendly alternative to Sabrent’s HB series of USB hubs as it has 7 USB 3.0 data ports you can turn on and off, along with one dedicated charging port, and costs a lot less ($21 at press time). However, Atolla definitely cut some corners to get it to this price.

The chassis looks kind of ugly with a cheap-looking shiny plastic that’s a fingerprint magnet. The power toggle buttons for each port are soft and require you to hold them down for a second or two to change their state, which is a step down from the clicky buttons on Sabrent’s hubs. Also, the USB cable is built-in, so you can’t replace it with a longer one.

Similar to the Sabrent HB-U3CR, the Atolla delivered 1.2 amps at 4.8 volts on our power test and it charged our phone at 4.78 volts and 1.35 watts. The Atolla hub also offered similar performance to other hubs; we detected no slowdowns when copying files with our test SSD.

How We Test USB Hubs

When it comes to USB hubs, most of the time, the specs don’t lie. If you see a hub that has USB 3.x (USB 3.0 or USB 3.2 Gen 1) ports, those ports should operate at the same exact speed as connecting a device directly to a USB 3 port on your computer. To find out if any of the hubs we tested created a data bottleneck, we hooked up a 10 Gbps external SSD to the hub, which we connected to a laptop. We then used DiskBench to copy a 25GB folder both to and from the disk and compared the numbers to those we got when connecting the disk directly to the laptop.

In all cases but one, there was no change in performance from using a hub. Using the 5 Gbps interface on most USB hubs and on our laptop, we got read transfer rates of 355 to 360 MBps and write transfer rates of 273 to 285 MBps. The exact numbers could vary from one run to the next so there is no point in listing the results from each hub — they are all within the margin of error of each other. Only one hub, the Sabrent HB-UMP3, showed a slowdown in its write speed, dropping down to 179.5 MBps, about a 35 percent reduction in speed.

We also did power testing on every powered USB hub. To see just how much electricity the ports could deliver, we connected a load tester to the hub and tried to dial up as many amps as we could. As we dial up amps on any device, the voltage drops, so a 5 volt USB port could drop down to 4 volts or less as we increase the load, but typical USB devices need close to 5 volts – 4.7 or 4.8 volts is usually enough – so we tested how many amps we could get at 4.8 volts and at the, likely unacceptable, rate of 4.05 volts.

We also connected an Android phone to the ports and recorded how many volts and amps it received. The phone charging test was probably the most realistic, as it showed what kind of volts and amps a real device would negotiate with the hub.

Other USB Hubs We Tested

Not every USB Hub is one of the best USB hubs you can buy. We tested a number of other models that are worth considering, but not necessarily at the head of the class.

• Sabrent HB-BUP7 (7 ports, powered)
  We love this hub and it’s my personal daily driver. This is the 7-port version of the 10-port Sabrent HB-U3CR we recommend and, for some folks, a better choice because it’s more compact. However, at press time, it was only $6 cheaper than the 10-port model with charging ports, so the HB-U3CR gets the nod for giving you three charging ports for only a little more cash.
• Sabrent HB-U3CR
  This is the 4-port version of Sabrent’s awesome line of power-switch enabled, powered USB hubs. It’s dirt cheap at just $16, but it’s the only USB hub we tested that actually bottlenecked performance, cutting about 35 percent off the write speed of our external SSD. We also don’t like the layout of the ports on this as well as on its larger siblings. However, if you’re not overly concerned with performance, this is a good buy.
• JoyReken FlyingVHUB
  This is a standard, bus-powered 4-port USB Type-A 3.0 hub with a built-in USB Type-A upstream cable. The main twist here is that the hub is pyramid shaped and has a little RGB light in the shape of a V in the middle. You can change the color pattern a little by hitting a button, and there's a USB-C port on the back that appears to do nothing (it gave power to a device, but didn't send data).
• Ugreen USB-C 4-port Hub
  At $14.99 (and on sale at press time), this a solid choice for MacBook owners or anyone who needs a cheap, portable hub that has a USB-C upstream connector and four down-stream Type-A ports. It even has a USB-C power pass-through you can use for charging your laptop.
• Atolla USB 3.0 Hub Splitter
  Available for less than $10 at press time, this portable USB hub is a good value with an interesting twist. The Atolla has a single, built-in Type-A cable to connect to your laptop, along with four Type-A USB 3.x ports for output. Each of its four downstream ports has an on / off switch, which is something we love on powered, desktop hubs but is less necessary on a portable hub where you're not leaving things plugged in for long periods. The 6-inch, built-in upstream cable is too short for a lot of people.

Discounts on the Best USB Hubs

Whether you're shopping for one of the best gaming laptops or another model that didn't quite make our list, you may find some savings by checking out our lists of Dell coupon codes, HP coupon codes, Lenovo coupon codes, Razer promo codes or Newegg promo codes.

Tom's Hardware USB Hub Coverage

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Following the launch of the USB 4 version 2, Intel is further detailing its next-gen Thunderbolt port, which the company says will align with the USB Implementer Forum's spec, while offering DisplayPort 2.1as well.

At Intel's Development Center in Haifa, Israel, the company demonstrated the new Thunderbolt connector's 80 GBps connection, twice that of Thunderbolt 4. Today, Intel has a new demonstration, carefully worded as a "prototype," that allows for 120 Gbps in "video-intensive usages."  

Typically, the new Thunderbolt connection (which Intel has yet to name, although Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt 2, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 are taken), equally allocates its lanes to both transmit and receive up to 80 Gbps simultaneously. But when connected to a display that requires more bandwidth (perhaps an 8K monitor), the new interface can take over some of the transmission-based connection, lowering how much you can receive and pushing more data.

Yesterday, the USB-IF announced a similar asymmetrical signal interface to deliver 120 Gbps transmission, while staying at 40 Gbps going the other way. So we'll see at some point if there are any differences in how they work. USB 4 is also getting 80 Gbps operation, similar to what is described in Thunderbolt.

While Intel mentions that Thunderbolt is "aligned" to the latest USB specification, it's also clear that the company feels Thunderbolt is more of a sure thing. Specifically, the company has a slide detailing all of the "optional" features in USB 4, including any speeds above 20 Gbps, while the next-gen Thunderbolt will require both 80 Gbps speeds and up to 120 Gbps for certain video workloads all the time. In short, Intel claims that if you get Thunderbolt, you'll get a better experience with more guaranteed results.

The new Thunderbolt connectors are also designed to work with passive cables already on the market, up to one meter in length, as well as support up to twice the PCI Express data throughput as previous specs, which could allow for better gaming.

The USB 4 Version 2 initiative has a series of new logos showing the kinds of speeds that cables and accessories can push. The question is how many manufacturers will actually use them. Meanwhile, Intel hasn't named this new version of Thunderbolt, so it's unclear how the company will market the new connection to showcase its advantages.

Thunderbolt technology has been found primarily on laptops, including Windows PCs, Linux machines, Macs and Chromebooks. But Intel licenses Thunderbolt connections, and we've seen very few devices without Intel processors using the Thunderbolt name.

First announced last month, USB4 Version 2.0 now has official specification documents for developers to follow. The USB-IF (USB Implementer's Forum), the governing body for USB, published the new documentation on its website, at the same time releasing new "USB 80 Gbps" certification logos that can be used on USB cables and devices that reach the 80 Gbps speed.

USB 4 (technically USB4 but commonly spelled with a space) was announced in 2019 and supports up to 40 Gbps connections while offering cross-compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and 4. USB 4 version 2.0 doubles the maximum speed to 80 Gbps but can go even higher, up to 120 Gbps in one direction (with 40 Gbps downlink) to power high-resolution monitors.

Using USB4 v2.0's bandwidth, the standard is fully compatible DisplayPort 2.1 and can power a 4K display at up to 240 Hz, or up to a 10K display at 60 Hz, without the need for compression.

"This updated technical specification extends USB4 speed and data protocol performance, enabling manufacturers to develop products that can deliver USB 80 Gbps in addition to existing USB 40 Gbps and USB 20 Gbps to end users," USB-IF CEO Brad Saunders said in an official statement.

USB4 version 2.0 will work over both existing USB4 40 Gbps passive cables and new, active 80 Gbps cables. In addition to being compatible with DisplayPort 2.1, it will be, according to USB-IF, "closely aligned" with PCIe 4.0.

Considering that the original USB 4 spec was announced in 2019 and we've just started seeing USB 4-branded products in the past few months, we don't expect any USB4 v2.0 devices to hit the market for a year or two. However, when USB4 v2.0 devices go on sale, you may see the new USB 80 Gbps logo on their packaging or even on their ports.

USB-IF has told Tom's Hardware on several occasions that it doesn't want consumers to have to think about version numbers when they're shopping for products. Instead, the group wants manufacturers to promote the maximum speed of all USB products, using monikers and logos such as USB 5 Gbps, USB 10 Gbps, USB 20 Gbps, USB 40 Gbps, and now USB 80 Gbps.

Products that go through the organization's official certification process will be able to use a "Certified 80 Gbps" logo on packages. 

Other devices or even computers that support 80 Gbps connections will be able to use the 80 Gbps port logo if they are certified.

Cables that are certified will carry an 80 Gbps, 240W logo if they can output 240 watts, or an 80 Gbps, 60W logo for 60 watts.

It's important to note that most USB products are not certified so, even when 80 Gbps devices and cables come out, you may not see these logos. And though the USB-IF would like manufacturers to talk about speeds and power output in their marketing materials, you will still see product listings that only mention USB 4 v2.0, USB 4, or USB 3.2, without listing the Gbps.

To help you make sense of all the version numbers, we have a detailed USB explainer and a special deep dive on USB 3.2 and USB 3.1

Found everywhere from charging hubs to PCs, home appliances and Raspberry Pis, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) lives up to its name. But with more than 10 different versions, a slew of connectors and a variety of transfer rates and charging capabilities, USB is also a broad set of standards that can be confusing if you don’t know what you need. 

If you look at a spec sheet for one of the best gaming laptops or best gaming PCs you might see it listed with a USB4 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port and two USB 2 ports. But what does that all mean and what can you expect to get from each? We’ve got answers to help you find out what every type of USB can do.

USB Versions, Version Names and Speeds

If you’re using USB for data, as opposed to charging only, the most important thing to know is your connection’s top speed. Because, in order to copy files to an external SSD at up to 10 Gbps, you’ll need every link in the chain to support that speed: the host PC, the cable and the drive itself.

It would be nice if every USB port and product had its top speed written on it or, at least, on the spec sheet. And, in fact, that’s what the USB-IF (USB Implementer’s Forum), which runs USB, would also like. The organization recently introduced a new naming convention that lists every port that’s 5 Gbps or faster as USB 5 Gbps, USB 10 Gbps, USB 20 Gbps or USB 40 Gbps, without using version numbers. Manufacturers who get their USB products certified by the USB-IF get logos with USB speed numbers that they can use on their packaging.

However, most USB devices don’t go through the official certification process. Even if something is certified, there’s still a good chance you’ll see it advertised with the numerical version number – ex USB 3.2 – instead of the speed. You may also see USB products listed as Hi-Speed USB, SuperSpeed USB, SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps or SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps. The SuperSpeed names are deprecated but still appear on some packaging and marketing materials.

There are so many versions of USB 3.x, that we’ve made a dedicated USB 3.2 and USB 3.1 explainer to help you sort it out in more detail. However, the important thing to know is that USB 3, 3.1 and 3.2 are all the same 5 Gbps connection, which jumps to 10 Gbps when you see Gen 2 after the version and to 20 Gbps when you see Gen 2x2 in the name.

USB Connectors

There are more than half a dozen common USB connectors you might see on a device. Some of these connectors are more common on certain types of devices.

USB Type-A

Dating all the way back to the 1990s, the USB-A connector was the first and is still the most widely used USB connector. It is rectangular, flat, and only meant to plug into a computer in one direction, which can be a hassle if you’re plugging in to a port you can’t see. You’ll find USB Type-A ports on most peripherals and computers, except for some ultrabooks that are too thin to support one. USB Type-A connectors may support USB 1.1, USB 2 or USB 3.x in 5 or 10 Gbps varieties, but this all depends on what the device or cable supports. USB 3.x ports are sometimes blue and those which reach 10 Gbps are sometimes red.

USB Type-B

USB-B is primarily used with the largest peripherals, such as printers. It can also be found on USB hubs or monitors that have USB hubs built into them, though the B port is always part of the wire that connects that hub/monitor to your PC.

Mini USB

Mini USB first appeared at the turn of the century alongside the USB 2.0 specification and is now mostly a thing of the past, having been replaced by micro USB. You may still see mini USB on some older game controllers or digital cameras. Technically, there is both mini USB Type-A and mini USB Type-B, but you are only likely to see mini USB Type-B in the wild.

Micro USB

Though USB-C is a newer and better connector that’s about the same size, you will still see micro USB on a ton of devices, ranging from budget Android tablets to Raspberry Pis, micro controllers, digital cameras, power banks and smart home devices. Technically speaking, there is both micro USB Type-A and Type-B, but you’re only likely to see Type-B.

USB Type-C

Most new computers shipping today have at least one USB-C port (and some have many more). The plugs on these cables are oblong in shape, and unlike any other USB connector, it does not matter which orientation you use to plug them in.

USB-C cables can deliver data, video, and power (up to 240 watts), though not every cable supports all of these features so you need to check the specs. Many new keyboards, mice, and nearly all new smartphones and tablets come with a USB-C connector onboard.

USB Power Standards

With the exception of Apple’s iPhones, just about every mobile device charges over USB. You can also power any of the best ultrabooks or best portable monitors off of a USB connection. But not all USB ports and cables deliver the same amount of juice.

Some of the newest USB devices may actually have a logo on their packaging which says how much power they can output, but this is not very common right now. Most modern phone chargers and all laptop chargers use some kind of USB PD, but not all USB-PD devices have the same maximum wattage, so be sure to check the chargers and cables. For laptops, 60W is the most common minimum and those that go over 100W are less common as this is a newer standard.

Video Over USB

DisplayPort Alternative Mode (Alt Mode) is yet another way to simplify cabling on modern PCs, particularly with laptops. With DisplayPort Alt Mode, a USB-C cable can deliver non-USB signals. In the case of DisplayPort Alt Mode, a computer can transmit a DisplayPort signal over a USB-C cable. 

While this is probably not much of a concern for a desktop, it is a big advantage for laptops. A USB-C port is physically smaller than HDMI or DisplayPort, so being able to transmit a DisplayPort signal while keeping a laptop's dimensions small is a boon for PC OEMs. 

Unfortunately, you usually cannot tell if a laptop’s USB-C port can deliver video just from looking at it. You’ll need to read the computer’s instruction manual or spec sheet or you could just experiment.

The latest USB4 ports on laptops can utilize DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0, which can run at up to 8K resolution at 60 Hz and use HDR10 color. Though USB4 itself can only do 40 Gbps of data, the port can send 80 Gbps of DisplayPort data, because it sends all the data in just one direction and can therefore take over all 8 lanes.

You can also output video from a USB 3.x or even 2.0 Type-A port, sort of. Though there’s no such thing as USB alt mode over Type-A, there are a number of docking stations and portable monitors that use DisplayLink technology. With the right drivers installed, your computer will compress video and send it to the dock via a standard USB signal.

USB Cables and Backward Compatibility

One of the best things about USB is how backward compatible it is. You can take a brand new USB 20 Gbps SSD and plug it into a USB 1.1 port from 1999, and it will probably work. However, any connection is only as fast as its slowest part. So if you have a USB 40 Gbps drive connected to a USB 40 Gbps port on your computer, but you’re using a cable that’s only capable of USB 5 Gbps, you’ll get only 5 Gbps.

When shopping for USB cables, it’s particularly important to look for the maximum rated speed. You can find many cables that use USB-C on both ends and offer 60 watts of charging, but can only move data at USB 2.0 speeds (480 Mbps).

The History Of USB

It's hard to believe it at this point, but the Universal Serial Bus (USB) has been around for over two decades. USB's origins date back to the mid-1990s, starting with the USB 1.0 spec that was introduced in 1996. That was followed by USB 1.1 in 1998, USB 2.0 in 2001 and USB 3.0 in 2008. Two decades after the release of USB 2.0, USB4 Version 2.0 was announced in late 2022, which further ramps speeds for connected peripherals.

USB 1.0/1.1 (1996 - 1998)

USB came about at a time when various ports were vying for our attention on the backs of computers. Not only were there multiple serial ports, but there was also a parallel port (for printers) and PS/2 connectors for mice and keyboards. If you gamed, you needed a game port for your controller, and it was common to see a SCSI connector for external storage in business environments. 

USB was developed as a "universal" replacement for all these ports, simplifying how we connect devices by settling on a common connector.

USB 1.0 debuted in 1996 with the familiar Type-A connector, which is still with us today. The USB 1.0 standard offered a "Low Speed" signaling rate of 1.5 Mbps or "Full Speed" signaling at 12 Mbps. The first revision to the nascent standard, USB 1.1, arrived in 1998.

USB 2.0 (2000)

USB adoption really began to accelerate with the introduction of the USB 2.0 standard in 2000, which dramatically increased the maximum signaling rate to 480 Mbps and took on the "High Speed" moniker. 

We also saw the introduction of the USB On-The-Go specification with USB 2.0, which allows smartphones and tablets with USB-based connectors to host other USB devices. For example, you can plug a mouse, USB thumb drive, or digital camera into the USB port on a Samsung tablet or Google Pixel phone.

USB 3.0 / 3.1 / 3.2 (2008 / 2013 / 2017)

In 2008, USB-IF introduced USB 3.0, which ran at a speedy 5 Gbps, offering roughly a 10x improvement in throughput over the preceding USB 2.0. Even today, that’s the top speed that most devices support. In fact, most peripherals only need USB 2.0 speeds. 

However, the USB-IF kicked speeds up another notch in 2013 when it introduced  USB 3.1 in 2013, doubling signaling rates again to 10 GBps. The original 5 Gbps speed was renamed to USB 3.1 while USB 3.1 Gen 2 referred to the 10 Gbps rate. 

USB-C was introduced in 2014, but the connector cuts across versions as you can have a USB-C port that operates at only 2.0 speeds or one that operates at 20 or even 40 Gbps.

With the introduction of USB 3.2 in 2017, we saw yet another 10 GBps tier and a faster 20 Gbps tier, both with dual-lane capabilities. It was at this time that the USB-IF decided to lump all 3.x specifications under USB 3.2 so USB 3.2 (no Gen or Gen 1) is 5 Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2  is 10 Gbps and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 is 20 Gbps. It’s called Gen 2x2 because it uses two 10 Gbps lanes.

USB4 / USB4 v2.0

USB4 was announced in 2019 as the next evolution of the USB standard, and is available exclusively using the USB-C connector (rather than the legacy USB-A connector). It can operate at either 20 or 40 Gbps, the latter of which is equivalent to Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 as USB4 can be compatible with Thunderbolt.

Data is transmitted using dual sets of four bi-directional lanes.

DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 was added, bringing support for 8K resolution at 60 Hz with HDR10 color. DisplayPort 2.0 can use up to 80 Gbps since all eight data lanes can be used to send data in one direction to the monitor.

USB4 v2.0 was first announced in the Summer of 2022. As has been the case with previous generational leaps, USB4 v 2.0 doubles the maximum symmetrical bandwidth, this time from 40 Gbps to 80 Gbps. But it doesn’t stop there; USB4 v2.0 also offers an asymmetric mode (which uses three transmit lanes and one receive lane) to boost maximum bandwidth in one direction to 120 Gbps.

Another feature that USB4 v2.0 brings over USB4 is support for PAM-3 signaling, an upgrade over NRZ. Using existing cables, PAM-3 transmits more bits per cycle. USB4 v2.0 can also tunnel PCIe 4.0 and DisplayPort 2.1 (up from PCIe 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a), along with Power Delivery 3.1 up to 240 watts using certified cables.

There are already controllers on the market from Intel and Apple, and others either in development or soon to hit the streets (ASMedia, Via Labs).

While USB 4 Version 2 may be the latest and fastest generation, the most common USB ports on PCs and peripherals have a "3" in the version number, specifically USB 3.2, USB 3.1, or even 3.0. When you're looking at spec sheets, you'll also see generation numbers after the USB 3.2 or 3.1, so, for example, there's USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and even USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. And yet some ports with different version numbers actually have the same speed! Confused yet?

Fortunately, once you get past the confusing decimals and generation numbers, it's easy to determine the speeds you can expect from your USB ports, cables, and devices. You just need to know the lingo, which we outline below.

USB 3.2 vs USB 3.1 and USB 3.0: What's the Difference?

The version numbers are confusing and don't mean much, as USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 are interchangeable and operate at 5 Gbps, while USB 3.1 Gen 2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 are the same and operate at 10 Gbps.

In fact, the USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum), which creates the standards, has told us several times that it would prefer manufacturers not to use these version numbers at all and instead list their products as either SuperSpeed, SuperSpeed 10 Gbps, SuperSpeed 20 Gbps, or as just USB 5 Gbps, USB 10 Gbps, and USB 20 Gbps.

If you are a vendor and pay to have your product officially certified by the USB-IF —something many vendors skip —the organization even has a set of logos it would like you to use.

However, despite the USB-IF's desires, we still see most PC vendors listing their ports as USB 3.2 or USB 3.1, without necessarily telling you what to expect from them. The spec sheets may not even list a generation number; if they don't, assume it's Gen 1 (5 Gbps).

The different USB 3.x version numbers exist purely because the number has been incremented with each speed advancement. In 2008, the USB 3.0 standard launched, bringing USB to 5 Gbps —a massive leap from the 480 Mbps of USB 2.0 —and, for many years, that was as fast as USB could go. In fact, even today, the vast majority of USB ports and products don't go beyond 5 Gbps, nor do you need them to. Many peripherals don't even need to go beyond USB 2.0.

In 2013, the USB-IF announced that it was increasing USB to 10 Gbps and, in doing so, changed the version number for all USB 3.x products. As a result, USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) became USB 3.1 Gen 1, and the new, 10 Gbps speed became USB 3.1 Gen 2.

In 2017, the organization rolled out a 20 Gbps speed for USB 3.x devices. In honor of the new speed, the version number changed across all speeds: the 5 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 1, the 10 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 2, and the 20 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

The 20 Gbps speed is called USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, because it uses two 10 Gbps lanes to give you the 20 Gbps speed. Would it have been less confusing if they called it USB 3.2 Gen 3? Who knows?

There's also a lesser-used version called USB 3.2 Gen 1x2, which is 10 Gbps and nearly identical to USB 3.2 Gen 2. The difference is that while USB 3.2 Gen 2 has a single 10 Gbps data lane, USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 uses two 5 Gbps lanes to reach its 10 Gbps total. That shouldn't matter to you as an end user, but you may see the USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 terminology.

What Kind of Connectors Do USB 3.2 and USB 3.1 Use?

Both the 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps speeds are available with either USB Type-A or USB Type-C connectors. USB Type-A ports have the traditional, rectangular connectors that can only be inserted one way. USB Type-C ports are smaller, oval-shaped, and reversible. Despite USB Type-C being extremely common on laptops and phones, some modern desktops feature few (if any) USB Type-C ports.

Though not very common, you'll also find USB 3.x cables with Type-B connectors, the kind of square connector used mostly to connect to printers and USB hubs.

And there are also some SuperSpeed micro USB connectors. However, these SuperSpeed Type-B and micro USB connectors are larger than regular Type-B and micro connectors so are not backwards compatible.

So, if you're wondering what kind of wires or adapters you need for a port, the version number alone won't tell you that. A USB 3.2 Gen 1 or USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, or a USB 3.1 equivalent, could have either type of connector.

However, if you are using USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps), you will definitely be using USB Type-C. The Type-A ports cap out at 10 Gbps. Also, though rare, the USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 (also 10 Gbps) can only use Type-C.

What Colors are USB 3.2 / USB 3.1 Ports?

The USB-IF does not mandate that USB ports have to be any particular color. However, a blue port is usually 5 Gbps, which means that it's SuperSpeed USB (aka USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.1 Gen 1, or USB 3.0). Some manufacturers now use red USB ports to include SuperSpeed 10 Gbps USB (aka USB 3.2 Gen 2 or USB 3.1 Gen 2).

However, it's also possible that ports will just be black, which indicates nothing at all. Your best bet for determining speeds is to look at the spec sheet for any device, whether it's a USB hub, an SSD, or a motherboard.

What Cables Do You Need for USB 3.2 / USB 3.1?

As with all things USB, USB 3.2 and USB 3.1 are backward compatible with older USB standards. So, if you use a USB 2.0 device or cable and plug it into a USB 3.2 port, you'll get a connection, but at the speed of the slowest link in the chain (in this case, 480 Mbps).

If you have a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port and want to take advantage of its 10 Gbps speed, look for a cable that supports 10 Gbps (it could be USB 3.2 Gen 2 or USB 3.1 Gen 2) and a peripheral that does the same. If you want to reach 20 Gbps, all three components — the port, the peripheral, and the cable — must support that speed.

What Can I Do with USB 3.2 or USB 3.1?

USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 run at up to 5 Gbps, which, in and of itself, is more than most peripherals require on their own. Wired mice and keyboards, even those with high polling rates, don't even reach the USB 2.0 limit of 480 Mbps. However, some of the best webcams require USB 3.2 / 3.1 / 3.0 connectivity, especially when they're delivering 30 fps at 2K or 4K resolutions.

If you're using a USB hub, you'll want at least a 5 Gbps connection, since all the peripherals connected to it will share that bandwidth. So, if you have a mouse, a keyboard, and a webcam all plugged into the same hub, they will definitely need at least the 5 Gbps that USB 3.2 Gen 1 / USB 3.1 Gen 1 provides.

Monitors or docking stations that use DisplayLink technology, which allows your computer to output video over a standard USB Type-A port, often require 5 Gbps speeds.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, external SSDs and the best hard drives need at least USB 3.2 / 3.1 / 3.0 speeds. The fastest external SSDs or SSD enclosures can operate at USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) or USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps), though the 10 Gbps speed is far more common and cheaper.

In a quick search of Amazon, we found an M.2 NVMe USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 enclosure for $25 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 enclosure for just $16.

How Much Power Do USB 3.2 and USB 3.1 Offer?

The USB 3.2/USB 3.1/USB 3.0 standards are only specified for 5 Volts and 900 mA, for a very unimpressive total of 4.5 watts. That's a hair better than USB 2.0, which caps out at 2.5 watts, but not enough to charge a modern smartphone or tablet very quickly. Also consider that 4.5 watts is the maximum, so an individual USB 3.2, Type-A port on a laptop or desktop may not even deliver that much.

However, it's important to remember that the charging standards a port supports and the USB version number are not necessarily related. Many chargers and hubs use different charging standards that allow them to go well beyond the limits of USB 2.0 or USB 3. Those that use USB Battery Charging (USB BC) can deliver up to 7.5 watts over a Type-A port. And then there are third-party standards like Qualcomm Quick Charge, which go up to 18 watts and beyond.

If you're using a USB Type-C cable and port, the charger/host device may support USB Power Delivery (USB PD), which can reach 240 watts in some cases. But wattage has nothing to do with data speeds, as a USB 2.0 port can provide power delivery, while a USB 3.2 port might not.

Video Over USB 3.2 / USB 3.1

Technically speaking, neither USB 3.2 nor USB 3.1 by itself can deliver video. Using DisplayLink technology, one can convert and compress video into USB data that is sent to a specially enabled hub or portable monitor. However, few people use DisplayLink devices today.

Many of the best ultrabooks and best graphics cards have USB Type-C ports that support "alt mode," which means that the USB cable and port can deliver data using a protocol that's not part of the USB spec. In many cases, that protocol is DisplayPort 1.2, 1.3, or 1.4, which can then connect your computer to a monitor or TV. However, just because a port supports USB 3.2 or even USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 does not mean it will necessarily support alt mode.

Frequently Asked Questions

This post is sponsored by HDMI Licensing Administrator

Any person who loves technology and the convenience and the joy it brings to modern life knows the fewer the hassles and disruptions, the better.

The more seamlessly electronics, computers and peripherals come together in the home and office, the greater the experience. 

But all of these devices have a potential downside that can quickly remove the joy and replace it with frustration. The culprit, electromagnetic interference, is invisible, always potentially lurking around cables, connectors, Wi-Fi routers and other devices.

In this Q&A, Brad Bramy, vice president of marketing and operations at HDMI® Licensing Administrator, discusses how compliance with HDMI® specs guards against EMI.

Q: Modern homes and offices are awash in RF. Possible sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI) range from Wi-Fi routers and microwaves to Bluetooth speakers and computer monitors. How would you describe the EMI environment in which HDMI cables and devices exist?

Brad Bramy: This is not simply related to HDMI cables, but anywhere that there’s a connection that can act as a source of electromagnetic interference.

Some devices have multiple HDMI ports that may be right next to each other. Especially if active at the same time, they can create a problem for anything else that may be in the area, like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or other things inside the house, workplace or school.

For cables, it’s very important that they emit very low or no EMI to reduce the possibility of interference with streaming media players, Bluetooth devices, mobile phones and even wireless gaming controllers and headphones.

Other devices can also emit EMI, and that can interfere with cables if the cables are poorly made, as they may not have enough shielding.

EMI tends to happen more where the connectors meet the cables or device, especially where shielding is peeled back to do the soldering.

Then there are design, materials and construction variables, such as the connector, pigtails, shielding and soldering methodology and solder. For example, when a manufacturer constructs a cable or device, if they run low on solder and order some from another supplier who uses a different material, not only can that affect performance, but also EMI.

Q: What is being done to guard against EMI with regards to HDMI tech?

BB: Design, implementation and testing are addressed in the specifications HDMI Founders created when developing the HDMI technology, and they are now a main focus of the HDMI Forum for their current specification development.

Compliance also always matters. One thing is to make sure products are from licensed adopters or that the manufacturer you are buying from is sourced from a licensed adopter, because their products would have gone through certification testing.

There are also two HDMI cables that are tested for EMI specifically. The Premium High Speed HDMI Cable, which has been around for about seven years – that was the first cable specifically tested to make sure it met EMI standards and has become the cable of choice for set-top box and installation manufacturers. They are bundling that cable with their set-top boxes.

Of course, it’s the two-year anniversary of the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable and its certification program. Those cables go farther in their EMI testing, because now you’re up to 48Gbps of bandwidth, so EMI could be a bigger problem. Therefore, EMI is a very big focus in the 2.1a specification.

The HDMI Forum has arrangements along with their Forum ATCs [authorized test centers] to use specialized EMI testing labs that have special chambers constructed to meet industry requirements. Most ATCs don’t have their own EMI chambers, but they send out to these authorized EMI labs to do the EMI testing.

What happens as a result is that the Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables exceed the requirements of the latest international EMI standard.

Q: How often are cables tested for EMI and other HDMI spec compliance?

BB: At a minimum, compliance testing must be done anytime there’s a new product. That’s the same for any HDMI product. If you are making something new, it has to get tested at an ATC.

If they make a change in the design or the manufacturing, it has to get certified again, because technically that’s a new product. Even if it doesn’t change, sometimes they will test it again because a reseller wants to see a certificate with just their name on it and know that it was their product that was tested.

HDMI LA also audits Premium and Ultra Cables that are already in the market.

If a cable fails, we contact the HDMI Adopter, who then has to fix the problem and get their cables certified again. This process ensures performance and compliance are maintained.

Q: What about field termination? Is there a way for residential systems installers to terminate HDMI cables as needed?

BB: If you field terminate an HDMI cable, that’s not going to be a tested cable. It simply bypasses the whole process we have in place.

Q: You have a special certification labeling program in place to enable consumers and installers to determine whether a Premium or Ultra Cable is authentic. What’s the latest with the program and the response of consumers?

BB: The program gives consumers and integrators the ability to scan a label on the package to ensure it’s authentic, and manufacturers support it because they can differentiate their products in a crowded marketplace as a compliant product.

But there’s still some confusion related to the Ultra Cables. If you look online for cables, people commonly use the term “2.1,” in some way. Well, there’s no such thing as a 2.1 cable. You have to use the full name, and that’s an Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable.

So a word to the wise. If someone just kind of uses a number out of context and says “2.1,” it doesn’t always mean it’s compliant to the 2.1a specification. You really have to make sure they state it’s an Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable and that it has a label on it when you get the product.

For more information go to www.hdmi.org.

The terms HDMI, HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI Trade Dress and the HDMI Logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc.

When the USB Promoter Group announced its USB 4 Version 2 specification with a maximum 80 Gbps data transfer rate last week, it did not reveal how it planned to make 80 Gbps work on existing cables. But apparently, there is more than that. USB 4 can do even better and support aggregate bandwidth of up to 120 Gbps.

The USB Type-C connector has four lanes configured in a 2 Tx + 2 Rx symmetric arrangement, which in the case of USB 4 operates at 20 Gbps per lane and therefore provides 80 Gbps bi-directional bandwidth. With USB 4 version 2, per lane data transfer rate is increased to 40 Gbps, and aggregated bandwidth increases to 80 Gbps with PAM-3 encodings (in both directions), reports Angstronomics citing documents from Keysight, a leading maker of test equipment.

But in addition to symmetric 2 Tx + 2 Rx setup, Keysight's M8040A Bit Error Ratio Tester for USB 4 v2 can test asymmetric 3 Tx + 1 Rx configuration, or 120 Gbps aggregated bandwidth from the host and 40 Gbps from device to host. It should be enough to carry a DisplayPort 2.0 UHBR20 signal (enough for 8Kp85 uncompressed and 8Kp144 with DSC) from the host to the display and then 40 Gbps (in both directions) will remain to handle data consumed by a USB 4 hub, a webcam built into the display, and so on.

So far, the USB Promoter Group has not formally confirmed that a 3 Tx + 1 Rx asymmetric configuration support would come to USB 4. Still, asymmetric configurations are nothing new for USB specifications. They are particularly easy to enable in the case of USB 4 (as well as Thunderbolt 3/4), as all signal types are muxed and demuxed at each end of the interconnection.

Now, assuming that a 3 Tx + 1 Rx asymmetric setup is a part of the USB 4 v2 specification, a major question is whether support for 3 Tx + 1 Rx asymmetric will be mandatory for all USB 4 v2 controllers or will be optional and reserved for select controllers only. Increasing per lane data transfer rate to 40 Gbps and implementing PAM-3 encoding will significantly increase the complexity and power consumption of USB 4 v2 controllers compared to USB 4 v2 controllers. Furthermore, increased bandwidth will require USB 4 v2 controllers to connect to hosts at around 15 GB/s (equal to bandwidth offered by a PCIe 5.0 x4 or a PCIe 6.0 x2 interface). Supporting a 120 Gbps upstream mode might complicate things further.

When can we expect the first USB 4 v2 host controllers to arrive? Angstronomics believes that Intel will support USB 4 v2 with its 14th Generation Core 'Meteor Lake' platform in 2023 as the company has already implied support of 80 Gbps Thunderbolt input/output interface by its media. As for AMD, it will lag behind Intel and will only offer CPUs with USB 4 v2 support in 2025. As usual, it is hard to make predictions about Apple.

We have reached out to the USB Promoter Group and enquired whether the final edition of USB 4 v2 supports the 3 Tx + 1 Rx asymmetric configuration. Unfortunately, for now, the organization neither denies nor confirms this.

"The USB Promoter Group announcement was only intended to cover high-level details as the specification is still under development," a statement by the USB Promoter Group reads. "It is only targeting developers at this time in order to promote the detailed trainings that will be available at the upcoming Seattle and Seoul USB DevDays events in November."

The USB Promoter Group has announced USB 4 version 2.0  with some massive upgrades over the original standard. The biggest feature version 2.0 provides is a doubling of available bandwidth from 40 Gbps to a whopping 80 Gbps. 

This massive jump makes USB 4 Version 2.0 one of the highest performing connectivity standards on the market. With speeds exceeding all current USB Thunderbolt standards, including Thunderbolt 4 which is limited to 40 Gbps – like USB4.

Version 2.0's shockingly fast speeds are attributed to a new physical layer architecture that has been added to USB4. As a result, version 2.0 uses the existing 40 Gbps passive cables built into USB4 Type-C and adds newly-defined 80Gbps USB Type-C active cables to reach that 80 Gbps mark.

The new USB4 version also adds new updates to its display functionality. Including a bandwidth boost beyond 20Gbps for USB 3.2 data tunneling when using alt modes such as DisplayPort mode. USB4 Version 2.0 has also been updated to feature the latest versions of the DisplayPort standard and PCIe spec.

Of course, like with all previous USB versions, USB 4 Version 2.0 will be backwards compatible with previous revisions, including the original USB4 standard, USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.

The USB group says Version 2.0 was created specifically to benefit users running a number of different devices through a single USB port, including docks, high-performance displays and more. This makes a lot of sense, as version 2.0's 80Gbps of bandwidth is incredibly overkill for the vast majority of the population.

But for power users who regularly power their laptops off of a massive setup incorporating multiple DisplayPort monitors, USB drives, ethernet and more, the 80 Gbps of bandwidth will come in handy and ensure there are no bandwidth limitations between any of these devices, and the host system.

Apple has removed the last remnants of Intel silicon from its Mac computers. Repair instructions and tools specialist iFixIt recently took one of the newest MacBooks to pieces (an M2 processor model) and discovered that Intel USB4 timer chips on previous generations had been swapped out for another brand.

As noted by Twitter user SkyJuice, this component change was spotted in an iFixIt Teardown last week, and it marks a sad milestone for Intel with regard to its Apple relationship. In the zoomed detail motherboard pic, you will notice two chips which carry the codename ‘U09PY3’. Apparently, previous MacBooks were using Intel's JHL8040R Retimer chips for USB4 and Thunderbolt support.

We don’t know who has made the new U09PY3 USB4 retimer chip, The source indicates it is a custom design, and we can’t get any further information from the markings in the image. Apple hasn’t said anything publicly about this change, and it isn’t expected to. It will have probably changed this chip for supply chain or cost reasons. Another reason behind a switch could be dissatisfaction with the Intel JHL8040R retimer, but again we haven’t heard any mutterings about this.

On the topic of keeping Intel outside, SkyJuice also noted that AMD’s newest Rembrandt laptops have eschewed any Intel USB4 relationship. Instead, AMD has decided to go for retimers such as the KB8001 'Matterhorn' from Swiss startup Kandou. This company claims its USB4 retimer chips are “deployed in products from five of the top six PC OEMs.” Moreover, its USB4 retimer is compatible with all SoC platforms.

Regular readers will know of Intel’s deep ties with the USB4 standard, which was built on the foundation of Thunderbolt 3. Thus USB4 supports up to 40 Gbps transfers, DP Alt mode monitor connectivity, some Thunderbolt 3 device compatibility, and up to 100W power delivery. Please note the ‘up to’ stats, and don’t mistake them for minimums. For a deeper dive into USB4 check out our USB4 explainer article, and another article we created with a simple table comparing the differences between USB4, USB 3, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 3.

Electronic gadgets and accessories maker Elecom has launched some flashy new cables with built-in LED lighting. The company will start selling these USB-C and Apple Lightning cables, which have touch-activated LED tips, in late July. 

Before you roll your eyes — these are not just more RGB-infused PC peripherals. The LED lighting present here is functional, and serves to solve a common problem: Not being able to see the connector port you're trying to plug the cable into (in a dark room, or behind a desk, for example). Also, the lighting isn't RGB, it's monochromatic. 

In a press release announcing the cables, Elecom says the tip of the cable connector lights up when touched to make it easy to insert into a port. When you release the cable, the light goes out. The light doesn't offer any secondary functionality, such as signaling charging or data transfer.

The company is kicking off its range of touch-LED cables with just two products. Both have a USB-A connector at one end — which has no LED lighting — and feature either a touch-LED USB-C connector or a touch-LED Apple Lightning connector at the other end. Both cables are 1.2 meters (3.9 ft) long and are capable of both charging and data transfer. 

According to Hermitage Akihabara, the cables will be available in Japan toward the end of July and will come in black and white. The USB-C cable will cost approximately $15.75 (including tax), while the Apple Lightning cable will cost approximately $19.40 (including tax). 

At the moment we don't have any details on when the cables will be available in the U.S., but Elecom sells its products worldwide — so these cables should find a route west via outlets such as Amazon, soon.

Apple has started selling a three-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable, complete with an eye-watering $159 price tag. That might seem like a lot of money for a USB cable, but there's a bit more to unpack here.

Three meters is approximately 9.8 feet. Right now, this is the longest Thunderbolt 4 cable on the market. Others, like OWC, Belkin, and Plugable tend to sell up to two meters (about 6.6 feet). That's the length Intel and its partners publish for the standard.

Those, however, are a mix of active and passive cables. Teardowns on Apple's 1.8 meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable revealed that it's an active cable, meaning that there are chips and retimers inside to boost the signal along a greater length. These chips can add to the cost, and technically push beyond the spec. Despite the fact that it's, well, a cable, some engineering went into this thing.

This cable is also braided, which is just a nice touch. Apple's latest Magsafe cables for its MacBook Pros are braided, albeit it in white sleeving, and they feel nice and durable. This sleeving also sometimes helps prevent tangling, which can be helpful when you're stretching a 9.8-foot cable across a room.

This is all to say that — despite the initial shock from the price tag — this cable isn't necessarily overpriced. Expensive, yes, but there's some extra tech and other niceties in there. Apple is currently the only game in town, but other vendors will eventually catch up with cheaper options. We can't say the same for a $19 polishing cloth.

Despite exceeding spec in length, Apple's other claims match up with what you expect from Thunderbolt 4, including a 40Gbps bandwidth. (Like Cake, Apple is going for both distance and speed.) This cable also supports up to 100 watts of power, meaning it can charge a MacBook or iPad Pro, as well as DisplayPort video output capabilities to connect to a monitor (such as Apple's own Studio Display or Pro Display XDR).

As of this writing, the three-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable is available to pick up in some stores, and is shipping between May 13 and May 20 with standard free delivery. 

For those who don't need such a lengthy cable, Apple's 1.8 meter option is $129, while other vendors typically sell for even cheaper. A two meter active cable from Belkin, for instance, is $69.99.

But if you need to snake a cable across or around a room, Apple's the only place for a cable this long. That's the price of really stretching out.