What is HDMI
What is the difference between mini HDMI and micro HDMI
Let’s find
A decade ago when HD or lower resolution was the standard of video content we had different types of cables for connecting various devices together like RCA cable, AVI cable, DVI cable, etc
These ‘N’ number of different cables was much of a hassle
To reduce this hassle and save us from these complexities HDMI cable started to become the standard for connecting devices for audio/video transfer.
Standard HDMI(Type-A) is the most common HDMI in use till now while the Mini(Type-C) and the Micro(Type-D) HDMI are rare. Mini HDMI port is smaller by 60% and Micro HDMI port is smaller by 72% in size when both are compared from the Standard HDMI port.
Page Contents
What is HDMI
HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia interface
It is an interface that is used for transferring audio/video in digital format to supported devices
HDMI cables are the most used cable in homes. It is used for connecting devices like TV, Blu-ray player, Xbox, home theatre, etc
We even see these cables for laptops, PCs, projectors.
It is the standard for transmitting audio/video signals.
Physically HDMI consists of ports and cable.
The cable consists of connectors on both ends which may look similar to USB.
Bidirectional signals – IN HDMI, signals can travel in both directions.
Read More | Use of HDMI in TV
Types of HDMI Cables
HDMI cables can be categorized into 3 types based on the sizing of the connectors.
All the 3 cables have the same 19 pin configuration.
Standard HDMI
- Type-A
- Most common
- Connector Dimension: 13.99mm x 4.45mm
The most common HDMI cable is the standard HDMI cable also called the Type-A HDMI cable.
This cable is used on TVs, monitors, Blu-Ray players, gaming consoles, PlayStation, set-top box.
At the time of buying, you may find this cable in the package.
Mini HDMI
- Type-C
- Smaller than Type-A
- Connector Dimension: 10.42mm x 2.42mm
To make the HDMI connector smaller, the mini-HDMI came which is 60% smaller than the standard Type-A HDMI connector.
Earlier it started to be found on some tablets but became rare.
It became popular to use with cameras, camcorders, DSLR cameras.
Manufacturers didn’t change the Type-A HDMI with the mini HDMI in TVs, projectors, PCs as these have plenty of space.
Micro HDMI
- Type-D
- Smaller than both Type-A and Type-C
- Connector Dimension: 6.4mm x 2.8mm
micro-HDMI came to take the same HDMI connector even smaller so that it can be used with smaller devices like smartphones
It has the same 19 pin configuration and these pins are placed in a tiny compartment to save space.
The connector has a dimension of 6.4 x 2.78mm and is smaller by 72% from the standard HDMI.
The standard Type-A HDMI port will take 1/3rd area of your smartphone. For that reason, micro HDMI was developed
In the early days when USB Type-C was not prevalent, micro HDMI started to be used with some smartphones like the Motorola Droid X
Micro HDMI being a new technology, Motorola used this as its top advertising features
GoPro cameras were also using micro HDMI for some time and Apple using this for its Thunderbolt
But with time as USB Type-C became more popular and the standard for phones, micro HDMI was ditched by everyone.
For phones, HDMI cable will generally be used for displaying the phone display on the TV screen.
With the advent of smart TVs, this can be achieved by using google Chromecast or miracast.
So there is no need for an HDMI cable for phones.
How to Differentiate HDMI
You will find standard HDMI ports in most of your home gadgets with mini and micro being rare.
Still if you are confused with the HDMI cable you will need for your laptop, PC, TV, projector, etc
It is very easy to differentiate these
There will be curves on both side like in the picture above in case of standard type-A HDMI ports. While in case of Mini HDMI ports the bottom sides will make straight line.
Micro HDMI will look like your phone charger port.
Conclusion
Size Comparison: Type-A > Type-C > Type-D
With any HDMI cable in the market, you get support for 4k video. You will have to look for HDMI 2.1 incase you need to transmit 8K video.
If you need to connect two devices with different sized HDMI ports.
You will need a micro to mini adapter or a mini HDMI to HDMI adapter
Check this on amazon.