This $16 240W omnidirectional USB cable orients to your device, not the other way around

In brief: Shopping for USB cables typically involves comparing compatibility, speed, powerfulness delivery, length, and price. However, Sanwa Supply's caller USB-C cablegram features an absorbing gimmick that could make utilizing devices while connected easier. Although nan cord isn't highly accelerated aliases long, it is rugged and versatile erstwhile you request a speedy charge.

Sanwa Supply's 500-USB090 USB-C cablegram is now disposable connected nan company's Japanese storefront. The cable's rotating plug intends to make utilizing portable devices little frustrating while charging.

Each extremity of Sanwa's cablegram rotates 180 degrees vertically and 360 degrees horizontally, enabling users to tuck nan cord retired of nan measurement successful immoderate orientation. Most USB cables dictate a device's position according to really they bend, but Sanwa demonstrates really nan 500-USB090 eliminates this problem (below).

The cablegram supports 240W powerfulness transportation to swiftly complaint phones, tablets, a Nintendo Switch, portable monitors, and MacBooks. Its 240W powerfulness standing will apt stay uncommon until USB4 2.0 and Thunderbolt 5 go much wide available. Sanwa shows nan elastic cablegram attached to specified devices astatine a bedside, table, and conveyance dashboard.

The 500-USB090's main drawback is that it only supports USB 2.0 info transfers astatine up to 480Mbps, which is apt why nan institution chiefly advertises it arsenic a powerfulness cable. Most modular USB cables presently support USB 3.2, which delivers overmuch higher speeds.

Once nan caller USB4 and Thunderbolt protocols are much wide adopted, we'll spot bi-directional transfers astatine 80Gbps aliases asymmetrical connections astatine 120Gbps successful 1 guidance and 40Gbps successful nan other. Charging astatine 240W is besides imaginable but not universal.

Elecom became nan first institution to introduce a certified USB4 2.0 cablegram successful October, but only 1 exemplary supports 240W charging while nan different is constricted to 60W. Meanwhile, newer PCs for illustration Apple's M4 Macs person begun adopting Thunderbolt 5, and older desktops tin summation compatibility through PCIe cards.

It remains unclear if aliases erstwhile Sanwa plans to waste nan 500-USB090 globally, but nan cablegram is already disposable successful Japan for ¥2,580 (or astir $16).

The institution besides precocious introduced a quick-release Ethernet cable. Taking inspiration from Apple's MagSafe technology, half of nan CAT6 plug easy detaches, simplifying installation and preventing harm if personification trips complete nan cable. The 10Gbps accessory starts astatine ¥4,180 ($27) for nan one-meter variant.