Can I use an existing lightening connector charger for an iPhone 8 Plus to charge the iPhone 12 or is the connector that goes into the phone actually USB-C? It seems to be lightening from what I can tell.
Are UsbC iPhone charging cables generally faster than their USB counterparts?
Lightning versus USB-C: Pros and cons for the iPhone
what port do you rather have USB-C or Lighting or no ports at all? and why?
CMV: Apple's Lightning port is better than USB-C which will soon be standardized in the EU
Can you convert a Lightning cable to USB-C?
Apple has released a Lightning–to–USB-C adapter—confusingly named the Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter ($29 at Apple's U.S. store or £29 at Apple's UK store) so you can convert an old Lightning cable into a USB-C cable for your new iPhone 15, but, as you might expect from Apple, it's way more expensive than just buying one of the new and superior USB-C cables we've reviewed above.
Which USB-C cable do I need to connect to a USB-C monitor
DisplayPort Alternate Mode is a feature available to USB-C and Thunderbolt that handles video as if the USB-C cable was a DisplayPort cable. USB-C monitors can therefore connect directly to your laptop or via a USB-C hub or USB-C or Thunderbolt dock.
However, not every USB-C cable supports video transfer so you need to choose the right type of cable.
If your external display supports a direct USB-C connection, look for a cable that has at least a data-transfer rate of 5Gbps for 4K at 60Hz or 10Gbps for 6K. For 8K we recommend you use at least a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 cable or 80/120Gbps Thunderbolt 5 cable. The higher the bandwidth, the less risk of signal degradation.
Consider cable length, too. While compression technologies should kick in, the longer your cable, the more the signal can degrade so opt for as short a cable as you require when connecting from your MacBook or dock to a USB-C monitor. A fully featured C-to-C cable that is 1 meter or shorter will work just fine for 95% of what people need. The Cable Matters 10Gbps/100W 1m USB-C Cable is a recommended solution.
If you need a longer cable, a 2m Thunderbolt 4 cable, such as the Cable Matters 2m Thunderbolt 4 cable. See the reviews above for more options.
Some USB-C monitors can provide between 65W to 90W of passthrough power back to the laptop, so ensure your USB-C cable supports at least 100W if you want to use your USB-C monitor to power your laptop.
What is the difference between Active and Passive Thunderbolt cables?
An "active" Thunderbolt cable contains built-in electronic chips that boost and repeat the data signal, allowing it to maintain stable, error-free full-speed (40Gbps) signals over longer distances compared to shorter "passive" cables that lack these chips.