USB ports and plugs were developed to simplify the process of connecting multiple different USB devices and peripherals to computers. While many older port types are still in widespread use today (especially for legacy hardware), fewer new peripherals are being manufactured that rely on them. The difference between male and female connectors - the two connector genders - is that one gets plugged in, while the other gets plugged into.

The body responsible for developing, maintaining, and updating the USB standard is called the USB Implementers Forum, or USB-IF. To date, there have been four main generations of USB released: USB 1.x (which had various subcategories), USB 2.0, USB 3.x (again, with subcategories), and USB 4. You will often see these referred to as USB gen 1, USB gen 3, and so on. Female USB connectors allow the male part of a USB cable or plug to be inserted into any compatible device. Once coupled in this way, the two devices can share both power and data over their common USB connection. The most popular and common USB port type today is probably the USB Type-A, also known as Standard-A. USB A connections will be very familiar to most PC or laptop users as a rectangular slot of about 14mm wide by 6mm high. USB-C is widely adopted. Android smartphones, Apple MacBooks, Nintendo Switch consoles, e-readers and wireless earphones are a few examples of products that universally use USB-C connections. While the Apple iPhone doesn’t currently use a USB-C connection – opting for its patented Lightning cable – the cable provided with the iPhone does connect to USB-C ports. Given the upcoming European regulations, even Apple iPhones should soon be moving over to USB-C. Fancy upgrading to a wireless phone charger? We’ve ranked our favourites.

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, a common standard launched in 1996. Before this, there was a much wider variety of different connectors commonly used for linking PCs and compatible hardware. Examples you might be familiar with include multiple versions of serial ports, D-Sub, and parallel ports. Mini A/B - a versatile connector that can accept either mini A-type or mini B-type plugs and cables

An industrial connector is typically one that is designed for extremely hard-wearing use in a more challenging environment. This might include versions designed with:In short, almost every device that includes a PCB (printed circuit board) will likely have at least one type of USB port on it somewhere. PCB USB connectors and related components are cheap to buy, and easy to mount in a variety of ways including panel, surface, through-hole, and cable mount.