Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is the most common USB cable these days for connecting 'something' to your computer but... beware of the 'Micro-B vs. Mini-B' interface confusion (read below) - if you are to use it with a phone or some other small and 'new' gadget, you may need a 'Micro-B' cable instead. On this specific cable, everything is done right, including the price. It is USB 2.0 certified, meaning that it supports data transfer rates of up to 480Mbps and, if your device accepts a Mini-B plug, this is the cable to get. Maybe the 2-meter length (6+ ft.) is a little bit too much but it does not bother me a lot and there may come a time when a cable this long may come in handy. While USB cables are clearly a commodity item these days, AmazonBasics does have a couple of advantages over the competition. - EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping. - WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty (talking about future-proofing). If a cable performs for one year, the odds that it would stop working after that are pretty close to zero. It's possible that the other vendors back their inexpensive cables too (I never checked) but I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less. - QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' USB or HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product. - PRICE - This cable may appear more expensive than others but keep in mind that, unlike most, it qualifies for SuperSavers and Amazon Prime free shipping. I am awarding this item 5 stars for price and quality - there's nothing to complain. However, I suggest that you look around before you place the order because you just might have one of these already as they tend to ship with many electronic gadgets these days. ______________________________________________ Notes: Anyone in the market for a USB cable should be very careful because there are at least 6 kinds of USB connectors. If you are buying a cable that connects 'something' to your computer or laptop, the computer end of the cable will always be a USB-A or 'Type A' connector. At the other end, you may have a USB-B/Type B - a nearly square shaped connector used mostly to deliver power to a device but this is rare. Most likely, you will have a Mini-B or a Micro-B. The difference between the 2 is that the Micro-B is half as thick while the width is the same - Mini-B is 3x7mm while Micro-B is 1.5x7mm. If your device (phone, PDA, camera) is a 'new' one and it's using USB, chances are that they will need a Micro-B connector because the industry seems to be adopting the 'Micro' form factor as its standard. If the above sounds simple, you should keep in mind that some devices require Mini-AB or Micro-AB connectors, also known as USB OTG (OnTheGo) devices. My advice: before ordering any cable, make sure that you clearly understand what type of cable you need. Whenever in doubt, do some more research and keep in mind that the 'Micro-B' (very small) is the emerging standard and it's likely to be found on the newer and smaller gadgets - phones, cameras, etc. but, before it we had the 'Mini-B' (this specific cable) so the older devices will need the 'Mini'.