“I need the white charger thing.” “You know, the round one.” “Not that USB, the other USB.” If you’ve ever tried to describe a cable to a shop assistant (or search for one online) without knowing its actual name, you’re not alone — it’s one of the most common conversations we have at the counter. This is the plain-English version: what these cables are actually called, what they fit, and how to tell them apart without any guesswork.

Phone charging cables: Lightning, USB-C, and (rarely) Micro-USB

Almost every phone charging cable sold today is one of three types. Here’s how to tell which one you need without knowing the model number off by heart:

Lightning — a small flat connector, rounded on both ends, that only goes in one way. Used by older iPhones (iPhone 14 and earlier, plus the 2020–2022 iPhone SE).
USB-C — a small oval connector that’s symmetrical, so it goes in either way up. Used by every current iPhone (15 and later), virtually every current Samsung, Google Pixel, Oppo and OnePlus phone, and most laptops made in the last few years.
Micro-USB — a small trapezoid-shaped connector, wider on one side. Increasingly rare now, but still turns up on older or budget Android phones, some kids’ tablets, and older accessories like portable speakers and game controllers.

What cable does your phone actually use?

Rather than guess from the name alone, here’s a practical rundown based on the phones we see most often come through the shop:

iPhone 15, 16 or 17 (any model) — USB-C. Apple switched over from Lightning starting with the iPhone 15 in 2023.
iPhone 14, 13, 12, 11, or the 2020–2022 SE — Lightning. If your iPhone still has the older, smaller flat plug, this is what you need.
Samsung Galaxy S-series (S23, S24, S25, Ultra, Plus) — USB-C.
Samsung Galaxy A-series (A14, A15, A54 and similar budget/mid-range models) — USB-C.
Google Pixel (8, 9, or Pro models) — USB-C.
Oppo and OnePlus phones — USB-C, and often support fast charging with the cable that came in the box.
Older or hand-me-down Android phones and budget tablets — sometimes still Micro-USB, particularly if the phone is more than 5–6 years old.

Still not sure? Bring the phone in — matching a charger to a device takes us seconds, and it saves you buying the wrong one online and sending it back.

Computer and gaming cables: the USB family

USB cables cause the most confusion because there are several shapes that all get called “a USB” interchangeably. Here’s the breakdown:

USB-A — the classic rectangular plug most people picture when they hear “USB.” Used for mice, keyboards, printers, and USB drives, and found on the back and sides of most desktop PCs.
USB-C — the small oval, reversible plug now standard on phones, modern laptops, and newer peripherals.
USB-A to USB-B — one rectangular end (USB-A) and one squarer, almost trapezoid end (USB-B). Most commonly seen on printers and some external hard drive docks.
USB-A to Micro-USB — one rectangular end, one small trapezoid end. Common for older Android phones, portable speakers, power banks, and game controllers.
USB-A to Mini-USB — one rectangular end, one small flattened-trapezoid end (slightly different shape to Micro). Turns up on older digital cameras, GPS units, and some older electronics — genuinely uncommon now, but we still get asked for these.

We’ve also written a deeper rundown of the 10 most essential computer cables if you want more detail on any of these, including Ethernet, SATA and power cables.

Video cables: HDMI, DisplayPort, and the rest

For connecting a computer to a monitor or TV, the two you’ll run into most today are:

HDMI — a trapezoid-shaped plug that carries both video and audio in one cable. It’s the most common connector on TVs, monitors, laptops and gaming consoles.
DisplayPort — a similar-looking but distinctly shaped plug (one corner is cut at an angle) found mostly on gaming PCs and higher-end monitors, often used for higher refresh rates and multiple monitors.

You may also still run into VGA (a blue plug with pins, older and analogue) or DVI (a white plug, also with pins) on older monitors and projectors — both are being phased out but are still common enough on legacy equipment that we keep adapters for them. For a closer look at picking the right one, see our guide to choosing a monitor cable and our monitor cables overview.

Adapters: when the plug on one end doesn’t match the other

Adapters solve the “I have this port but that cable” problem, and the ones we’re asked for most are USB-C to HDMI (for connecting a modern laptop or phone to a TV or monitor), USB-A to USB-C (for older accessories on a newer laptop), HDMI to VGA (for plugging a newer device into an older monitor or projector), and USB-C to 3.5mm headphone (for phones that dropped the headphone jack).

Still not sure? Just bring it in

You don’t need to know any of these names to get the right cable — that’s genuinely our job, not yours. Bring in the device (or devices, if you’re connecting two things together) and we’ll match the cable or adapter on the spot. Get in touch or drop by 85 Main Street, Lithgow, and we’ll sort it out in plain English.

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