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Laptop Ports: Is USB-C only fine, or should I get HDMI,USB,Audio if I need them?

25 points johnnybzane | 5 comments | 18 Oct 24 19:31 UTC | HN request time: 0.812s | source

I'm on the market for a new laptop (with windows OS) and I've noticed quite a few laptops are USB-C ports only now.

I even saw one laptop that only had 2 USB-C ports, with 1 of them to use for charging. (Dell XPS 13 for example)

It's very important for me to connect my laptop to a monitor, and to use earbuds, be connected to ethernet, and to have a charger going, all at the same time. I have an old laptop with an HDMI output port, USB, and direct audio jack for earbuds.

I'm struggling to accept that dongles are fast enough or reliable enough. What if I get a HDMI dongle or audio dongle and the connection keeps dropping on my video calls? A direct connections feels "safer" to me than a USB-C splitter.

What do you think. Should I still look for laptops with direct HDMI/Audio/USB connections, or are USB-C only laptops still reliable enough even if you need a dozen different dongles?

1. sam29681749 ◴[19 Oct 24 03:25 UTC] No.41885424[source]▶
I think carrying around dongles is a hassle (I know some people are very organised with their peripherals, but I'm not one of them). I like the idea of the docking stations some people have posted about, but it doesn't really account for needing the ports when you're away from your desk. It's not often, but I do find myself needing them now and then.
replies(4): >>41922409 #>>41922470 #>>41922521 #>>41922545 #
2. shiroiushi ◴[23 Oct 24 06:34 UTC] No.41922409[source]▶
I have a Dell laptop with a Thunderbolt docking station. The docking station is great for staying connected to all the things you normally leave on your desk when you take the laptop somewhere: dual monitors, keyboard, mouse, ethernet connection, webcam, speakers, etc. It's not that great for plugging in, for instance, temporary USB devices like thumb drives or USB hard drives. (This docking station has some USB ports on the back, where they're hard to get to, and only a single one on the front.)

So I'm very happy that this laptop, though still quite thin, actually has two USB-A ports (USB 3.0), on the sides. It's also nice sometimes to be able to plug in an HDMI monitor if I'm not at my desk/home, without needing to carry a stupid dongle.

3. f1shy ◴[23 Oct 24 06:45 UTC] No.41922470[source]▶
I agree it is a hassle, BUT, in my use-case I use them very little. I try to get everything BT (Head-phones (-set), mouse, keyboard). And also have a docking station in places where I'm lot of time.

So for example, at home and work have a docking with all cable (headset, keyboard, mouse). If I'm "outside" I will typically NOT take calls, and NOT use keyboard or other peripherals....

Last but not least, for many laptops there are "dongles" without cable, that act like a little extension of the housing of the laptop. They are pretty convenient.

4. dietr1ch ◴[23 Oct 24 06:53 UTC] No.41922521[source]▶
The hack is to leave a USB hub that gets you power, ethernet and monitors from a single cable.

It's not truly portable, but it's a nice setup for having a desk and carrying your laptop with you to meetings and home.

5. hnbad ◴[23 Oct 24 06:57 UTC] No.41922545[source]▶
If you need a docking station while away from your desk you can use one through the magic of buying two of them. The Lenovo ones (USB-C/Thunderbolt) are fairly lightweight and don't take up much room in a backpack or travel bag, though I can imagine you'd want something more compact if you want to travel extremely light.