USB plugs – you never get them in the right way round first time. Thankfully, the new USB Type C plug offered by some USB 3.x devices is fully reversible, so you can insert it either way, as is Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector for its mobile devices.
But what if you could buy a fully reversible cable that’s compatible with your existing devices? That’s where the Omaker Optimum Reversible Micro-USB cable comes in. On one end is a plug compatible with a standard USB type A socket, and on the other is a plug compatible with a standard micro-USB socket. Both plugs can be inserted either way up, and you get two cables in each pack.
As I mostly use iOS devices with Apple’s Lightning cables, I had to borrow Christine’s Samsung Galaxy S3 to test these cables out. I was expecting them to only permit charging and not data transfer, but I was wrong – I was able to browse Christine’s phone storage on my Mac with no problems. So these cables work just as well as any normal USB to micro-USB cable, but with the advantage that they can be inserted either way round.
What’s more, the plugs don’t feel loose in the sockets – they click in just like any other cable would. The cables are nylon-braided, and are around a metre long, so about the same length as most equivalent cables. The plugs at either end feel sturdy, so they shouldn’t break easily.
At £9.99 for a pack of two, these cables are a bargain, and a must-have for anyone who has a phone with a micro-USB charger (basically almost every Android and Windows Phone). Whilst there’s a chance that they may not work with all devices, I had no issues during my tests for this review. And imagine how much time and frustration you’ll save when plugging your phone in to charge.
Omaker Optimum Reversible Micro-USB cable review originally appeared on Neil Turner's Blog and is released under a Creative Commons License. Follow me on Twitter - @nrturner
