Home > Consumer Reviews > AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]

This is the most common USB cable these days for connecting 'something' to your computer but... beware of the 'Micro-B vs. Mini-B' interface confusion (read below) - if you are to use it with a phone or some other small and 'new' gadget, you may need a 'Micro-B' cable instead.

On this specific cable, everything is done right, including the price. It is USB 2.0 certified, meaning that it supports data transfer rates of up to 480Mbps and, if your device accepts a Mini-B plug, this is the cable to get. Maybe the 2-meter length (6+ ft.) is a little bit too much but it does not bother me a lot and there may come a time when a cable this long may come in handy.


While USB cables are clearly a commodity item these days, AmazonBasics does have a couple of advantages over the competition.

- EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping.

- WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty (talking about future-proofing). If a cable performs for one year, the odds that it would stop working after that are pretty close to zero. It's possible that the other vendors back their inexpensive cables too (I never checked) but I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less.

- QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' USB or HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product.

- PRICE - This cable may appear more expensive than others but keep in mind that, unlike most, it qualifies for SuperSavers and Amazon Prime free shipping.



I am awarding this item 5 stars for price and quality - there's nothing to complain. However, I suggest that you look around before you place the order because you just might have one of these already as they tend to ship with many electronic gadgets these days.

______________________________________________

Notes:

Anyone in the market for a USB cable should be very careful because there are at least 6 kinds of USB connectors. If you are buying a cable that connects 'something' to your computer or laptop, the computer end of the cable will always be a USB-A or 'Type A' connector. At the other end, you may have a USB-B/Type B - a nearly square shaped connector used mostly to deliver power to a device but this is rare. Most likely, you will have a Mini-B or a Micro-B. The difference between the 2 is that the Micro-B is half as thick while the width is the same - Mini-B is 3x7mm while Micro-B is 1.5x7mm.

If your device (phone, PDA, camera) is a 'new' one and it's using USB, chances are that they will need a Micro-B connector because the industry seems to be adopting the 'Micro' form factor as its standard. If the above sounds simple, you should keep in mind that some devices require Mini-AB or Micro-AB connectors, also known as USB OTG (OnTheGo) devices.

My advice: before ordering any cable, make sure that you clearly understand what type of cable you need.

Whenever in doubt, do some more research and keep in mind that the 'Micro-B' (very small) is the emerging standard and it's likely to be found on the newer and smaller gadgets - phones, cameras, etc. but, before it we had the 'Mini-B' (this specific cable) so the older devices will need the 'Mini'.

The debut of Amazon Essentials could not have been better timed for me. I have three portable hard drives (the kind that are powered solely through usb cables) and all of my existing cables were missing. Somehow over the summer they got thrown away or misplaced, so getting to my files on these portable hard drives was impossible. Even more frustrating was the fact that on my MacBook Pro from 2007, there's only one powered hi-speed USB port. The other one isn't hi-speed. So I had a USB hub that I couldn't use either.

Anyway, along comes Amazon Essentials with these amazingly cheap USB cables. I was cautious about buying USB cables from any place else because I could have just gotten normal USB cables, not ones that I could use to power my external portable hard drives and my USB Hub.
As soon as I saw these from Amazon though, my problems were solved. They're 6 feet/1.8m long, which is long enough to suffice for almost any application. The cords have gold-plated connectors - I'm not sure if that makes them USB cords from the high heavens, but it sure does make them look a lot nicer than the other ones I have lying about. And these cords are dirt cheap - Less than $3.75 for 6 feet... try getting something like that at a normal electronics store.

To close off my review, I'd like to say how happy I am with my purchase, and that I'll definitely be buying my future USB cables through Amazon Essentials!

Good quality USB 2.0 cable direct from Amazon. I usually just buy cheap digital cables. I hate companies that charges you an arm and a leg. But sometimes, you have no idea about the quality and construction of the product that you will get. At least, you know, Amazon put their name on it.

Solid construction. Amazon label is a nice touch. Gold tipped. Very reasonably priced+++. It just works.

I love the eco-friendly, no frustration packaging too.

Hello, I am using this cable for past one month and the performance of the cable real good. I could X'fer Photos from my camera at real fast speed. I'd recommend this cable to people.

I bought this to download pics from a digital camera but found out it also works well with my video camera still pics and even my blackberry. I carry it with me so I can charge the blackberry in the car while listening to the playlists on the radio. Can't go wrong for this price. I looked at Best Buy and they were $15.99, even on the internet.