A USB cable is perhaps the most important accessory when using your smartphone. Running your smartphone requires a USB cables, we are going to see how below and also look at top best USB cables in Kenya.

• Tip: Check on buyers ratings and reviews on USB cables, this will give you an idea on expected performance. For example, by the time of writing this article, Oraimo Android Usb cable had a 4.6 star rating from 61 buyers on Jumia. This means most users were highly satisfied by it’s performance.
• • • • Click to see similar top rated USB cables prices on Jumia
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    Types of USB cables

    USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus, this means that the cables are designed at a standard, also the ports where they are to be inserted have a common standard regardless of the manufacturer or model.

    Here we are going to look at Micro USB cables and Type C which are designed to fit any smartphone in the market. Still in Micro USB, there are divisions according to their capabilities, below are common types of the micro USB cables;

    • • • USB 1.1
        • USB 2.0
        • USB 3.1
        • USB 3.2/ type C

    Note: Type C cables will require you to have an adapter that will allow you to connect the cable with previous generations ports, see photo below.

    

    We are going to look at capability of each below as we look at the factors to consider, it is the type that you should look for as indicated by the manufacturer to know if a cable suits your need.

     

    Factors to consider in a USB cable

    A USB cable that can be considered as proper working should have two distinct capabilities, that is; charge mobile phones and transfer data between devices such as a smartphone and a laptop.

    Mobile phones charging

    This is perhaps the most important feature or work of a USB cable, your phone’s battery will always need power for operation, this power is gained by charging your phone which is a achieved by use of a USB cable or a charger.

    A good USB cable should be able to charge all mobile phones available in the market. You have probably come across a cable that does not charge your mobile phone or heard some one say that certain cables do not charge their phones. This is because some smartphones will require a certain charging capability, every type of USB cable has certain charging limit, this is determined by the amount of power a cable can carry in terms of volts and Amperes.

    Charging capabilities of different types of USB cables

    The higher the voltage the more faster it charges

    Micro USB 1.1- 5Volts @ 0.5A

    Micro USB  2.0- 5Volts @ 0.9A

    Micro USB 3.1- 20Volts @ 3A

    Micro USB 3.2/type C- 20Volts @ 5A

    Data transfer

    Every type of cable has its data transfer power, when you want to transfer files from one device to another, especially between smartphones and other devices such as computers, you will need a high performing cable.  Below are the standard for each cable speeds:

    Micro USB 1.1- 12Mbps (Megabits per second)

    Micro USB 2.0- 480Mbps

    Micro USB 3.1- 5Gbps (Gigabits per second)

    Micro USB 3.2/type C- 10Gpbs

    Durability

    A good USB cable should be durable or have a long service life, for long life, the sheath or outer covering of wires used in the cables should be thick enough and elastic to allow for bending of the cable as will happen when been used.

    Best USB cables

    Above we have noted that type C of cables are the best in terms of charging and data transfer speeds. However, some manufacturers will make more superior cables than others, below we provide some models that you can consider when picking a cable.

    • • • Topk USB cables

    

    Topk is brand offering all types of USB cables and is popular for it’s Type C USB cables, the cables have amazing features such LED indicator and Magnetic design.

    • • • CA-101 USB cable

    

    This connectivity adapter cable is made by Nokia, although it is 2.0 type , it is highly performing with long serving life, it also works with any smartphone that is compatible with micro USB 2.0 type.

    • • • Anker USB cables

    

    Anker is brand with the different types of cables with good review worldwide hence you can consider picking from this brand.

    • • • Jsaux USB cable

    

    Jsaux is another brand of cable that gives high quality models, you can pick from any of their models including the type C cables.

    Above are just but some of the top USB cables, you will however find more in the market, if any model fits your required capabilities and have good user review, you can pick it.