It’s been almost a year since I bought my first device with USB-C, the Nexus 6P. At first, the standard was still so young that it was pretty difficult to find accessories that worked properly and were actually useful. Fast forward to now and the market has changed, thanks in no small part to the growing number of USB C powered smartphones and tablets on the available today…
Arguably the best part of USB-C is how universal it is. The standard is showing up on everything from smartphones to tablets to PCs, and with the right accessory, the standard can really show just how useful it can be.
Now, after several months of checking out various USB-C accessories, I’ve found a few that I use in my daily life, and you might like them too, so let’s take a look.
TechMatte microUSB to USB-C Adapter Keychain
One of the sore points for any USB-C user is the lack of availability. Whether it’s your friend’s car or a public charging station, finding USB-C is hard. On the other hand, microUSB is everywhere, and so are adapters. I’ve been using microUSB to USB-C adapters at home for a while, but the biggest problem with those is how easy they are to lose. Thankfully, TechMatte offers a solution that lets me bring an adapter with me anywhere I go, and it has proved very useful so far.
This adapter works like any other, but it can also easily be added to your keychain so you can have it with you at all times without worrying about losing it. The adapters are also fully spec compliant, so there’s no need to worry if you’re using them with a device with fast charging.
The best part of these adapters is definitely the cost. TechMatte sells these on Amazon for just $8.99, and you even get two for that price.
Pomarks USB C Flash Drive
Another USB-C gadget I keep on my keychain is this flash drive from Pomarks. Now if you’ve never heard of Pomarks before, I don’t blame you, I hadn’t either before I spotted this item on Amazon.
Using this flash drive is pretty simple. Flip out the one side to connect to your smartphone, tablet, or computer over USB-C, or turn that around to access a full-size USB 3.0 connector to transfer that same data to other devices. For pulling documents from my laptop to my phone or tablet, this flash drive has been invaluable to me, and it works well. Everything is quick with pretty decent read/write speeds as well.
There are a lot of other great USB-C flash drives just like this on the market, but the design of this one is what sold me. Since it looks like a key, it works great on your keychain which means I can bring it with me anywhere without losing it.
At $22 for a 32GB flash drive, this isn’t the cheapest option out there, but for the form factor I found it completely worth it, especially since other USB-C/USB 3.0 flash drives come in at similar price points.
Satechi USB C Hubs
Two other accessories I love using with my Nexus 6P and Pixel C come from Satechi. The first is a 3-in-1 USB C hub that brings power passthrough, a full-size SD card reader, a microSD card reader, and two full-size USB 3.0 ports. The metallic construction of this product goes great with my devices, and the functionality is fantastic.
This hub is especially useful with the Pixel C, allowing me to connect any wireless mouse with ease and pulling documents and photos off of a flash drive or SD card at any time.
Another option Satechi offers is this USB C SD card reader. This much smaller product provides a single full-size SD card slot and a microSD card slot as well. I found this most useful with my smartphone, but along with my DSLR camera, it became even more useful. I usually keep this product in my camera bag, so I can view photos I’ve taken on my phone’s display while still out.
Both of these products are ones I’ve been using for several months, and I can’t recommend them more. At $45 and $20 respectively they aren’t the cheapest options on the market, but I think they are well worth the cost.
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