State of the Port: 2024 Global Trends in Connectors

Another year and more changes with device ports and offerings. The good news is the predicted consolidation of the digital ports is firmly with USB-C. India and the EU have mandated that all new personal communication devices standardize on the USB-C port. The thinking is to save everyone the headache of wondering which port works with their device. If you have a brand new phone, computer or tablet since 2023 it will have a USB-C. If your device was released in the last 2 years it will have USB-C on it. All Samsung, Apple and Google conform to this rule. USB-C has a great future with more connected peripherals and faster charging rates. 

What is going on with the other ports?

1) 3.5mm

This port is still the de facto audio output for all laptops and computers. Every single computer that Apple, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba (and every other manufacture) has a 3.5mm audio port on it. The 2024 and 2025 line ups will not change that. There are too many speakers and headphones made with 3.5mm that this will not change within the next 4-5 years. 

2) Apple Lightning  

This port is proprietary port from Apple was used for 12 years and was phased out on all new released products from 2023 forward. Apple was very proud of this port and charges for it. It offers no advantage over USB-C and cost 3 to 4 times per device. It's data transfer rate and changing speed are a small fraction of what USB-C offers. iPhone 5 to iPhone 14 have Lightning. No MacBooks or iMacs ever did. 

Since not everyone upgrades their devices every year this has created confusion of which port do I have. To help you navigate through this transition we have made a detailed video describing each port and the Mic-Locks that will work with it! 

This video covers the following topics:

1) Navigating the "Find What Fits Your Device" feature on our homepage.

2) Choosing a Mic-Lock based on your device's audio port.

3) Learning the differences between each Mic-Lock and picking the one best for your lifestyle.

4) Navigating our Chatbot feature.