Transitioning between standards can be tough, but you can make it easier on yourself.
We're roughly two years into the major transition to USB-C as a standard port on computers and phones. It's pretty tough to buy a new high-end device today that doesn't have a USB-C port, and most new laptops have at least one USB-C ports for charging and data.
But of course we don't all refresh every device we own every year — there are still plenty of phones, tablets, and most importantly accessories we all own with Micro-USB ports. All the while, every new device we get comes with a USB-C cable in the box, and the number of old Micro-USB cables we have is decreasing.
Instead of buying new Micro-USB cables to carry around for those old devices like my or , I picked up a pair of awesome USB-C to Micro-USB adapters. Nope, these aren't the super-popular adapters that go in the other direction — these little bits of plastic and metal let you use your new USB-C cables with old Micro-USB devices!
Micro-USB is still going to be around for a while — make the transition simpler.
The adapters that I've been using are from TechMatte, and . Yes it feels a little dumb to be buying new things to help me continue using old technology, but try as I might to have everything in my life be USB-C it just isn't possible right now. By spending a few bucks on these adapters, I can keep using my old Micro-USB devices without having to keep a whole Micro-USB cable around. The adapters also work for data transfers to a computer, which isn't something I necessarily expected to work.
Now I've wrapped up and stored my Micro-USB cables, swapping everything out to USB-C to use a majority of the time while I have these adapters around for the edge cases when I have to power up something old. It isn't ideal, but it's far better than the alternative — and it only cost me $8.