Imagine this. You can buy any USB-C cable, plug it into any compatible device, and get the fastest data transfer speeds and highest power supply output. Now compare that to the reality of every USB-C cable and port having different capabilities, and the unwanted stress of finding the optimum compatibility.

USB-C was meant to be the universal standard, but it gets many things wrong. But why is that? Why can’t every USB-C port and cable offer the same performance to make our lives easier? The answer isn’t so simple, but I’ll try to answer it as best I can. Here’s why we can’t have the fastest USB-C cables as standard.

Connector vs standard

They’re not the same

The first thing to understand when discussing this topic is that USB-C is just the connector type and not the standard. Its basic job is to be a universal reversible connector for all modern devices. The standard are the various speeds and specifications that will work with the USB-C connector. This is one of the reasons why each cable has a different speed. Thunderbolt makes things more complicated. It uses a USB-C connector but offers different speeds to the regular standards.

Here are some examples of the different USB-C standards.

Why do we have different USB-C standards?

Many good reasons

Progress

USB-C was finalized in 2014 and started appearing on devices, like Apple’s 12-inch MacBook in 2015. Since then, there’s been constant evolution with faster speeds and better capabilities dropping every few years. New products on the market usually have higher power and speed demands and USB-C is always evolving to meet them. That’s why there’s such a vast difference between the earlier USB 2.0 and the latest USB4 specifications.

Different device requirements

Each device is different with varying power and data transfer requirements. For example, wireless headphones need basic power without data transfer. Smartphones need a combination of power and data transfer, while SSDs require fast data speeds only.

Laptops must be versatile to handle many devices, like monitors or SSDs, and often have ports with different speeds. This is one reason why it’s so challenging for every device to stick to a single standard.

Cost Factor

Including the fastest speeds on every device isn’t financially feasible for brands because faster and more powerful USB controllers cost more than slower ones. Devices need to sell in a competitive market and adding the best capabilities would push the price up.

Adding more bandwidth to devices that don’t need them doesn’t make financial sense, so brands don’t do it. They’d rather keep the best performance for the devices that will make use of them.

There’s also the question of product positioning. Brands usually have a range of products and faster USB capabilities are a way to differentiate their budget and premium lines.

The cable factor

Headphones, controllers, and smartphones include cables designed around their capabilities. Each serves a specific function and won’t work the same when used with other devices. For example, a USB-C cable might be capable of high power delivery, but will have slow data transfer speeds. The same also applies vice versa.

Design choices also affect cable performance. Shorter cables are usually faster than longer ones due to lower electrical resistance. Cable thickness is also a factor. Each USB cable has thinner or thicker wires inside. Thicker wires offer more efficient power delivery while thinner wires can be slower and less efficient.

High quality cables from reputable brands now follow the USB-IF standard and have logos displaying their capabilities. They let you see their abilities at a glance, so you can make the right buying decision.

However, cheaper brands don’t follow this, and you have to rely on the packaging which might now be truthful. They are a mixed bag, and you never know what you’re getting.

These factors make it almost impossible to have a single, fast USB-C speed across every device. There are simply too many products out there and the constant evolution means there will always be a mix of faster and slower devices with varying requirements.

Solutions

A simple fix

It’s frustrating trying different cables until you can find the one that works. Older USB-A solved this issue with color-coded cables for different speeds. This isn’t possible with USB-C as the cables have too many speed and power delivery combinations.

The best you can do is take advantage of USB-C’s backward compatibility when buying cables. The newest and best cables are guaranteed to work with all your devices and will default to their fastest speed. For example, the latest USB4 cable will perform at its highest speed when paired with a matching device. It will also match the lower speeds of older and slower devices. This is the best solution to having a single cable that will get the best speed out of all your devices.