The USB-C Mess: One Shape, a Dozen Functions, and Zero Clear Markings

USB-C is a big step forward for connectors, but it is still a confusing mess when it comes to what each port can actually do.

I just spent the afternoon reading the USB-IF documentation about USB-C and I have questions. And rants. While I was at it, I revisited our breakdown of USB Power Delivery here: USB-PD Explained with Charts .

USB-C is supposed to be the great universal port of our time. One cable to rule them all. One port to simplify everything. One connector so symmetrical you can plug it in upside down at 2AM and still feel like a genius.

And honestly, it is a huge improvement. It is the direction the industry should go. Finally, a connector that is not designed by the same person who thought micro-USB was a good idea.

But here is the problem. A single USB-C port can support what feels like twenty different features, and absolutely none of them are guaranteed.

Oh, USB-C? Great. Does it charge your laptop? Maybe. Does it output 100W? Possibly. Does it handle 240W PD 3.1 EPR? Do not bet on it. Does it support Thunderbolt? Look for a tiny lightning-bolt icon that may or may not be there and may or may not mean what you think. Does it carry DisplayPort? Only on alternate Thursdays.

The best part is that there is no universal marking for any of this. USB-IF gives us a specification book the size of a phone book but never says, “Maybe put a clear icon on the laptop so people know if the port actually charges the device.”

USB 3.0 had a simple answer: blue port. Easy. USB-C with PD input on a laptop? Good luck. You are digging through a forty-page PDF because the physical port itself is basically whispering, “Guess.”

Do you want data only? Or power only? Or both? Or Thunderbolt? Or USB4 at 20, 40, 80 or even 120 Gbps? Do you need video out, video in, or just a decorative hole soldered to the motherboard for morale?

Too bad, because they all look exactly the same.

So yes, USB-C is the future. Yes, it is better than the connectors we had before. But would it really be that hard for the industry to agree on a set of symbols that actually mean something? Right now the world is full of people asking:

• Why does my charger not work in this USB-C port?
• Why does my monitor not detect anything?
• Why did my laptop complain when I plugged in a random cable from a discount bin?

The answer is that USB-C is universal in shape, not in function. And that is the part that really deserves a rant.