Bar none, USB Type-C is my favorite port of all time. It’s reversible, it’s compact, it features alternate modes for broad I/O compatibility, and it supports vast amounts of data and power throughput. Type-C isn’t perfect, of course, but it’s far and away the best port to have ever been created thus far.
USB-C has permeated much of the tech industry, to the point where you’ll find the connector across the vast majority of phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, headphones, battery packs, mice, keyboards, and more. You’ll even find Type-C in motor vehicles, in electric razors, and in power tools.
Notably, less common is USB-C in flat-screen smart television sets. They exist, to be sure, but most modern smart TVs still primarily rely on antiquated USB Type-A ports instead. This is quite a shame, as Type-C is the superior choice in just about every metric that counts. Here are three ways that USB-C supercharges the TV experience.
Direct A/V connectivity
Leaving HDMI in the dust
Not all USB-C ports and cables are created equal, but the more powerful ones are capable of carrying a significant amount of data bandwidth through their pipes. With the right equipment, a USB-C-toating smart TV could theoretically leverage said ports in a similar manner to HDMI, albeit with the added benefits of reversibility and compactness to boot. I dream of being able to connect my streaming set-top box, my disc player, and my video game console directly to my TV via USB-C, sidestepping the need for separate power and A/V cables.
Native Power Delivery
For topping up all your gadgets
WIth USB-C now being the de facto standard across most electronic gizmos and gadgets, USB-A-clad TVs are becoming more of a pain to interface with. If you want to charge up your phone or laptop using your TV, you’ll need a USB-A to USB-C cable, which is less convenient and less streamlined than a USB-C to USB-C cord. Plus, with Type-C, you can charge a connected device while outputting to the big screen, so long as video out is supported across the stack.
A decluttered setup
One cable to rule them all
USB-C is all about streamlining things, and the ability for the socket to manage both data and power simultaneously is a huge win for simplicity. I hate all the clutter packed away behind my TV stand, and Type-C is the clear and obvious solution: it’d make it so that a single cable and port could do the heavy lifting, without the need for separate power cables, A/V cables, power bricks, and so on. Of course, as mentioned at the top, USB-C is a bit of a free for all when it comes to standardization, and so TV makers would need to home in on a single, high-specced variant of the technology for this to one day become viable.
QuizUSB-C ports
Trivia challenge
Think you know everything about the connector that changed charging forever? Put your knowledge to the test.
HardwareStandardsHistoryChargingCompatibility
In what year was the USB-C connector specification first published?
Correct! The USB-C specification was published in August 2014 by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). It was designed from the ground up to replace the growing zoo of USB connector types with a single, reversible solution.
Not quite — the USB-C specification was finalized and published in August 2014. Development had been underway for a couple of years before that, but 2014 was the official release that set the standard in motion.
How many pins does a USB-C connector have?
Correct! A USB-C connector features 24 pins arranged symmetrically, which is a key reason it can be inserted either way up. Those pins handle everything from power delivery and data transfer to audio and display signals.
The correct answer is 24 pins. The symmetrical arrangement of those 24 pins is exactly what allows USB-C to be reversible — there is no wrong way to plug it in, unlike its predecessors.
What is the maximum power delivery wattage supported by the USB Power Delivery 3.1 specification over USB-C?
Correct! USB Power Delivery 3.1, finalized in 2021, raised the ceiling to an impressive 240W. This makes USB-C a viable charging solution even for high-performance laptops and other power-hungry devices.
The correct answer is 240W. USB Power Delivery 3.1 dramatically expanded on the original 100W cap, pushing USB-C into territory once reserved for proprietary laptop chargers and large power bricks.
Which USB-C cable is required to support USB4 Gen 3 speeds of up to 40Gbps?
Correct! To achieve USB4 Gen 3 speeds of up to 40Gbps, you need a Thunderbolt 3 or USB4 certified cable. Not all USB-C cables are created equal — using a lower-rated cable will bottleneck your speeds significantly.
Not quite. USB4 Gen 3 at 40Gbps requires a Thunderbolt 3 or USB4 certified cable. One of the most confusing aspects of USB-C is that the connector looks identical regardless of the cable’s capability, so certification labels matter a lot.
Which Apple laptop was among the first mainstream devices to ship exclusively with USB-C ports, controversially removing all other port types?
Correct! The 12-inch MacBook released in 2015 made headlines for having just a single USB-C port for everything — charging, data, and display output. It was a bold and divisive design choice that sparked widespread debate about port diversity.
The answer is the MacBook (2015). Apple’s 12-inch MacBook launched with a single USB-C port and nothing else, not even a headphone jack on early models of other lines. It was one of the most talked-about laptop designs of that era.
USB-C is a connector shape — which of the following is a data transfer *protocol* that can run over a USB-C cable?
Correct! Both DisplayPort Alt Mode and Thunderbolt 5 are protocols that can run over a USB-C physical connector. This is the key distinction — USB-C is just the shape of the port, while the protocol determines what it can actually do.
The correct answer is both DisplayPort Alt Mode and Thunderbolt 5. It is a common misconception that USB-C is a single standard — it is actually just a physical connector shape that can carry many different protocols depending on the host device and cable.
Which regulatory body mandated USB-C as a common charger for mobile phones sold in the European Union from late 2024?
Correct! The European Parliament passed legislation requiring USB-C as a common charger for smartphones, tablets, and other small electronics sold in the EU, with compliance deadlines starting in late 2024. The move was largely aimed at reducing electronic waste.
The answer is the European Parliament. EU lawmakers pushed through the common charger directive to cut down on cable waste and consumer frustration. This regulation was notably one of the factors that pushed Apple to finally add USB-C to the iPhone 15 lineup.
What does the ‘Alt Mode’ feature of USB-C allow a device to do?
Correct! Alt Mode allows the USB-C connector to carry completely different protocols — such as DisplayPort, HDMI, or Thunderbolt — by repurposing some of the connector’s pins. This is why a single USB-C port can drive an external monitor without an adapter box.
Not quite — Alt Mode lets USB-C transmit non-USB protocols like DisplayPort or HDMI natively through the connector. It works by reassigning certain pins within the 24-pin connector to carry those alternative signals, making the port incredibly versatile.
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Which smart TVs currently support USB-C?
The list isn’t very long
At the time of writing, only a select few smart television sets ship with built-in USB Type-C ports. Notably, Hisense has incorporated Type-C (with embedded DisplayPort support) in some of its higher-end mini-LED panels, and both Samsung and Roku feature Type-C ports on some of their high-end 2026 TVs. LG, too, has jumped on the USB-C bandwagon, but only in its specialty StanbyME portable touchscreen series.
The following smart TVs feature at least one USB-C port:
- Hisense U8QG
- Hisense UXQ
- Hisense UR9SG
- Samsung S95H
- Samsung The Frame Pro Neo QLED 4K Art TV
- LG StanbyME 2
- Roku Pro Series
- Roku Pro Series LX
