Different USB C cables may support different protocols, or ways of transferring data, such as MHL, HDMI, Thunderbolt 3/4/5 and DisplayPort. In relation to USB C, these protocols are called alternate modes. Having support for one protocol type may give support for another but this is not generally the case.
- Connects smart phones to TVs.
- Allows MHL-enabled source and display devices to be connected through a USB Type C port.
- Look for MHL support on product page where you are ordering from to ensure MHL is supported.
- Allows HDMI-enabled video sources with a USB C connector to directly connect to standard HDMI display devices without requiring an adapter.
- The HDMI Alternate Mode for USB-C allows HDMI-enabled sources with a USB-C connector to directly connect to standard HDMI display devices, without requiring an adapter. The standard was released in September 2016, and supports all HDMI 1.4b features such as video resolutions up to Ultra HD 30 Hz and CEC. Previously, the similar DisplayPort Alternate Mode could be used to connect to HDMI displays from USB type-C sources, but where in that case active adapters were required to convert from DisplayPort to HDMI, HDMI Alternate Mode connects to the display natively.
- More on Wikipedia
Thunderbolt (3, 4, and 5)
- Thunderbolt combines PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort (DP) into two serial signals, and additionally provides DC power via a single cable.
- Typically used for monitors and 4K support. This gives a large speed boost when transferring data at 40 Gbps or more.
- Can require active cables for higher performance, if over 0.5 meters.
- Thunderbolt 3 cables also support the DisplayPort protocol.
- Thunderbolt 4 was released in July 2020. The key differences between Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 are a minimum bandwidth requirement of 32 Gbit/s for PCIe link and support for dual 4K displays (DisplayPort 1.4).
- On September 12, 2023, Intel previewed Thunderbolt 5 (codenamed Barlow Ridge), aligned to the USB Implementers Forum's (USB-IF) USB4 2.0 specification. It provides symmetric bandwidth of 80 Gbit/s, e.g. for mass-storage devices, double that of Thunderbolt 4, and unidirectional bandwidth of 120 Gbit/s for displays (three times that of Thunderbolt 3 and 4), supporting dual 8K displays at 60 Hz.
- Another type of digital display interface, backwards compatible with HDMI/DVI/VGA.
- Look for DisplayPort support in product descriptions.
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Currently, DisplayPort is the most widely implemented alternate mode, and is used to provide video output on devices that do not have standard-size DisplayPort or HDMI ports, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. A USB-C multiport adapter converts the device's native video stream to DisplayPort/HDMI/VGA, allowing it to be displayed on an external display, such as a television set or computer monitor.
Examples of devices that support DisplayPort Alternate Mode over USB-C include: MacBook, Chromebook Pixel, Surface Book 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, iPad Pro (3rd generation), iPhone 15/15 Pro, HTC 10/U Ultra/U11/U12+, Huawei Mate 10/20/30, LG V20/V30/V40*/V50, OnePlus 7 and newer, ROG Phone, Samsung Galaxy S8 and newer, Nintendo Switch, Sony Xperia 1/5 etc.
- More on Wikipedia.
Page last edited January 28, 2025
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