Holiday Shopping Guide: Best USB-C accessories for Surface and more

Arif Bacchus

New USB4 standard is now finalized, with first devices expected for 2020

USB-C has slowly become the standard connection for charging and data transmission on all kinds of laptops and phones. Microsoft was quite hesitant with USB-C for a while, but all the most recently released Surface devices now finally have the port too.

So, if you’ve just purchased a new Surface, you might be wondering which USB-C accessories are best for you. While we’ve already covered some USB-C power banks and chargers in our best “on the go” roundup, today we’ll be giving a look at the best USB-C accessories you can buy.

Samsung Portable SSD T5

Despite the SSDs on the Surface Pro X and Surface Laptop 3 being upgradable, you might be running out of storage quickly depending on which model you buy. If you’re looking to expand on your storage space, Samsung has a solution for you.

The Samsung T5 Portable SSD is a portable USB-C SSD drive that offers up ultra-fast data transfer speeds of up to 540MB/s. That’s up to 4.9x faster than traditional external HDDs, which makes this nifty little SSD great for transferring photos, videos and more between your devices. It’s also very compact and the size of a credit card. That means you’ll be able to travel with it and keep it by your Surface’s side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9So6n85_tg

WGGE USB-C to USB-C Cables

Since some devices like the Surface Pro X only have USB-C ports, you might want to invest in a USB-C to USB-C cable. By buying a cable like this, you won’t need to use a dongle to transfer photos or content off a phone or a device that has a USB-C port. The WWGE USB-C cable is one of the best you can buy, as it’s braided for extra strength and has a 2-year warranty.

RAVPower 61W Type C PD 3.0 Power Adapter

One of the benefits of the newer Surface devices is the ability to charge via USB-C. This means that if you have a compatible power bank that supports PD (like the RAV Power USB-C Power Bank,) you can charge up on the go without the need for the included Surface Connect charger.

However, if you’re at home, you also can share a standard USB-C wall charger to charge your Surface. One of the best solutions for that is the RAVPower 61W Type C PD 3.0 Power Adapter. It has both a USB-C and USB-A port for charging and the USB-C port supports PD charging, which is a feature you can’t find in most power chargers.

 

Surface USB-C to USB-A Adapter

The Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro 7 are devices that have both USB-C as well as USB-A connectivity. However, if you’re looking to expand out and add an extra USB-A port to your Surface, then Microsoft has a solution for you. The Surface USB-C to USB Adapter will allow you to convert the USB-C port on your device to the older USB-A port. When plugged in, you’ll be able to attach your laptop to external monitors, flash drives, keyboards, and more. It’s also fairly compact and lightweight, and won’t get in the way.

Surface USB-C to 3.5 mm Audio Adapter

Surface devices like the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3 both have a headphone jack, but if you’ve purchased the Surface Pro X, you’re out of luck. The device doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio headphone jack, and you’ll need to use a dongle if you want to use your traditional headphones. This accessory lets you do that, and enjoy your music and movies in privacy.

Which accessories do you use?

We’ve only touched on a few suggestions for the best USB-C accessories. A quick search on Amazon reveals quite a lot to choose from. Which accessories do you use with your Surface? Let us know in the comments below.