Computer Act!ve - UK (2022-01-19)

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Mytysuncableslookstran ge buttheir shor t,

flat shape makesthem ideal foruse in cars

Joto’s 10-footcableletsyouconnectdistant

devicesbutonlyhasoneUSB-Cconnector

M

anydevicesnowuseUSB-C

cablestoconnecttoother

devices,includingphones,

tablets,laptops,external

harddrivesandgamesconsoles.These

cablesarelighter,fasterand–because

theyhavethesameshapedconnectorsat

bothends–lessfiddlythanolderUSB

cables.ButnotallUSB-Ccablesarethe

same.Theycandifferinlengthand

durability,thespeedatwhichtheycharge

yourdevicesortransferdata–and,of

course,theyvaryinprice.Inthisfeature,

wehelpyoufindthebestUSB-Ccablefor

yourbudgetandneeds.

Best shortUSB-Ccable

ThestandardlengthofaUSB-Ccable is

onemetre,whichallowsittotransfer

data atupto 10Gbps–themaximum

speedachievablebytheUSB3.1standard

usedbymost cables,thoughsomenow

offer 20GbpsviaUSB3.2.However, if you

only needto connecttwosmalldevices

thatcanstayadjacenttooneanother,

suchasaphoneandaportablepower

bank,thenashortercablewillsuffice.

Thiswillavoidanynastytanglesand

accidentalsnagging,aswellasbeingeasy

tocarryaround.Amazonsells 3 0cm(1 2

inches)USB-Ccablesforaslittleas£5,

includingatwo-packfromHuukeinfor

just£6(www.snipca.com/4 0470 ).Both

cablesarenylon-braidedfordurability

and,thoughtheyusetheolderUSB 2 .0

standard,whichhasamaximum

data-transferrateof4 80 Mbps,they’re

fineforchargingyourgadgetsonthego.

Ifyouwantsomethingevenshorter

andsturdier,anddon’tmindyourcable

lookinglikeafanbelt, Mytysunhas

cablesthat measurejust13.7cm(pictured

belowleft).Pricesstart at £11.69 (www.

snipca.com/40471)fortheseUSB3.1

cables,whichare idealforcharging

devicesincarsbecausetheirshort length

prevents phonesandtabletsfrom

disappearingundertheseat.

Best extra-long USB-Ccable

Attheother endofthescale,itcanbe

useful to haveanextra-longcable for

connectingdevicesonoppositesidesofa

room(orevenindifferentrooms).

However, extendedlengthinevitably

meansslowerdatatransfer andcharging

times, so don’tbuyacable that’s

significantlylongerthanyou need.

Besides,ifthecable’stoolongit’ll look

messyandyou’remorelikelytotrip

overit.Mostcablesofoverthreemetres

areonlydesignedforchargingrather

thandata or videooutput,whichmeans

they’renouse,forexample, for

connectingyourlaptopto yourmonitor.

Checktheproductspecificationsbefore

buyingto avoiddisappointment.

Oneofthebest valuelongeroptionsis

Joto’s 10-footcable (£7fromwww.snipca.

com/4 0473 ,picturedabove), whichis

braidedwithheavy-dutynylonanduses

USB3.1 forspeedydatatransfer and

charging.Ithas oneUSB-Candone

USB-Aconnector, soyou’ll needan

adaptertoplugthelatterintoaUSB-C

port (see boxonoppositepage).

Best USB-Ccablefor video

AllUSB-Ccablesletyou chargedevices,

butif youwanttodisplaycontentfrom

19 January–1February 2022•Issue 623

EnsureyourUSB-Ccablegivesyouthefastestchargingand

data-transferspeedsforthelowestprice.RobertIrvinereveals

thebestcablestobuyforallyourdevices

USB-Ccable

Don’tbuy the wrong