4 USB-C Adapters That Will Make Your Ports Way More Useful

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The USB platform changed the computing world after it debuted back in 1996. Take a look at the back of a vintage personal computer from the late ’80s and early ’90s, and you’ll find a veritable wild west of ports. From serial to parallel, PS/2, and game ports, things were a bit messy before the advent of USB.

Today, USB-C has become the industry standard, even managing to solve the biggest problem one of the creators of USB had with connectors. We’re at the point where basically all of our devices use USB-C now, making connecting and powering gadgets easier than ever. And while there are a number of common myths about USB-C, it can do a lot more than simply charge or transfer data. With an adapter, a USB-C port’s capabilities can be greatly expanded.

Where once you may have needed to buy a proprietary cable or card in order to benefit from an accessory, a simple adapter can now help make your ports way more useful. From adding wired Ethernet functionality to a laptop to upgrading your audio or even adding compatibility to older cables, the following are just a few of the USB-C adapters you may want to keep in your travel bag.

Laptops are getting slimmer and smaller. One of the ways they are accomplishing this is by removing all the ports that used to be found on most machines, with many now relying solely on USB-C. Where a variety of laptops once had HDMI ports for sending video out to a television or monitor, they now rely on USB-C for the same purpose.

But you don’t have to buy a specialty cable to connect your USB-C laptop to an HDMI display. Since you probably already have a couple of HDMI cables lying around, the Anker USB-C to HDMI Adapter is a more economical choice. This little device plugs into the USB-C port of a laptop and gives you a full-sized HDMI port for connecting to a display. It works with most devices, and it’s compatible with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

The adapter supports a number of resolutions all the way up to 4K at 60 Hz, depending on your device. You’ll be able to easily share or mirror your display without having to bring a dedicated cable with you at all times. You can simply take any HDMI cable, plug it into the adapter, and you’ll be ready to work on your project, give your presentation, or just share video content with friends and family.

Apple stuck with its Lightning connector for over a decade, even though the company played a role in the creation of USB-C. This means that there are numerous iPhones and iPads that still use the Lightning standard — and with Apple known for creating products that last, Lightning cables should stick around for years to come.

But a problem arose when Apple started making the transition to USB-C, making it harder for many users to charge or transfer data to an iPhone or iPad from newer MacBook laptops. That’s where a USB-C to Lightning adapter can become your most useful accessory. No need to buy a new cable just to connect your iPhone or iPad to your new laptop — simply attach an adapter and you’re good to go.

The USB-C to Lightning Adapter 4-pack from Lertosen is a good choice here. With over a thousand reviews and a 4.4-star rating on Amazon, these MFi-certified adapters come highly rated. They also feature an anti-loss lanyard, meaning you can keep them connected to all your Lightning cables and simply pop them on and off when needed. No worrying about losing them in a bag when you need them most.

Wireless earbuds and headphones are great, but a lot of people out there still swear by their wired headphones. Whether that’s due to battery life and latency being non-issues with a wired connection, or because people prefer the overall sound quality, wired headphones are still very popular. But with the humble headphone jack disappearing from phones and tablets, it’s getting harder to use them with many devices.

The USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter from JSAUX looks to address this issue. With this little dongle, you’ll be able to connect your favorite pair of wired headphones to almost any device that has a USB-C port. Featuring a smart DAC chip for crisp, clear audio, this adapter is an easy way to add 3.5 mm mini-jack compatibility back to devices that it was removed from.

At just under $10, this little adapter is a great way to continue using your favorite pair of wired headphones that you can’t live without on modern devices. It’s also a lot cheaper than going out and buying all-new headsets, especially when the ones you already have work great.

We love ports around here. We’re the sort of people who fondly remember the days when computers and laptops had every port under the sun. Give us a laptop with a card reader, Ethernet port, tons of USB ports, and a headphone jack, and we’ll fill them up faster than Phil Schiller could say “Courage.” We’ll concede that many people are fine with a couple of USB-C ports and the odd adapter here and there, but we certainly don’t want to neglect our fellow port aficionados with this list.

The Ugreen USB-C Docking Station is for those types of people. This nifty hub features just about every port that has been removed over the years as devices have become smaller and slimmer. You get two HDMI ports (one 8K at 30 Hz and the other 4K at 60 Hz), allowing for multi-monitor support. Included are three USB-A data ports alongside an extra USB-C port for the one you lose when plugged in.

You also get a 1,000 Mbps Ethernet port as well as support for both SD cards and Micro SD cards. This 10-in-1 USB-C docking station from Ugreen is like having nearly every USB-C adapter rolled into a single device. If you’re serious about expandability and don’t want a bunch of adapters in your bag, a USB-C docking station like this one might be for you.

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When selecting the USB-C adapters for this list, we looked to the Amazon user community. We highlighted adapters with high user ratings and numerous published reviews. Each item also had to have at least 1,000 user ratings, with many boasting 10,000 or more to help validate their ranking. 

Each featured adapter was also required to hold at least a 4-star rating, and we gave preference to those that have earned an “Amazon’s Choice” badge. This badge indicates that a device comes highly rated, is considered well-priced, and can be ready to ship out immediately.