Standard A HDMI, Mini HDMI, and Micro HDMI share the same functionality of transmitting uncompressed audio and video between devices such as a console and a monitor. The only differences are their sizes and the size of their suited devices.
Standard A HDMI is associated with most devices such as televisions, monitors, and consoles. Mini HDMI’s are related to mid-size devices such as tablets and DSLR Cameras. Finally Micro- HDMI’s are used for smartphones or HDMI action cameras.
If you want to learn more, read on…
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What is the Standard A HDMI?
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, is an audio and video interface that transmits uncompressed audio and video between different devices. It can display high-definition resolutions up to 1080p and ultra-high-definition resolutions of up to 4K and above.
The standard A HDMI connector generally looks like an oversized USB with nineteen pins on both ends. These pins produce bandwidth that allows uncompressed high-definition quality or ultra-high-definition quality of audio and video to be transmitted to many devices.
The standard A HDMI male connectors measure 13.9 mm × 4.45 mm, while its female port measures 14 mm × 4.55 mm. Connecting this cable up will transmit both uncompressed video and audio.
Devices compatible with the standard A variant of the HDMI include televisions, personal computers (PC), Blu-ray players, and consoles.
The monitors and televisions that it can connect to and carry uncompressed bandwidth of quality between devices are standard-definition (480i), enhanced-definition (480p), high-definition (720p, 1080i, and 1080p), and ultra-high definition (4K and 8K ultra-high-definition).
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Basically, just about any device that requires audio and video display needs a standard A HDMI. These specifications do not change much between Mini HDMI and Micro HDMI variants except in their sizes.
What is the Mini HDMI (Type-C)?
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The specifications of the Mini HDMI are the same as the Standard A HDMI, with the only difference it being its size. It also has nineteen pins that transmit uncompressed video and audio to its connected devices with excellent quality.
The Mini HDMI connector looks similar to a Type-C USB cable, and the male connector and female port both measure in 10.42 mm × 2.42 mm. Like the Standard A HDMI, the Mini HDMI also transmits uncompressed video and audio at the same excellent quality standards mentioned above.
The Mini HDMI is 60% smaller than the Standard A HDMI.
A Mini HDMI connectors and ports are small and are generally found and used on small computer monitors, DSLR cameras, and tablets. These mid-size devices are often too big for a Standard A HDMI, so the Mini HDMI came into production.
A lot of Mini HDMI cable come with Standard A HDMI ends so that you could connect a mid-size device, like your tablet, to a television with a Standard A HDMI port.
Besides the smaller size of the Mini HDMI, they are just as powerful as the Standard A HDMI.
What is the Micro HDMI (Type-D)?
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The Micro HDMI shares the same functionality and power as the Standard A HDMI and the Mini HDMI. It too has nineteen pins that transmit uncompressed audio and video at the same qualities mentioned above.
The Micro HDMI resembles a micro-USB in its appearance. The Micro HDMI measures 6.4 mm x 2.8 mm, making it incredibly small compared to the Standard A HDMI and Mini HDMI, and it is about 72% smaller than the Standard A HDMI.
The Micro HDMI connector is commonly used for smartphones and action cameras.
Many of these cables too come with a Micro HDMI point on one side and a Standard A HDMI point on the other. This cable variant is produced to output uncompressed video and audio to a Standard A HDMI device, such as a monitor, from a small device like a smartphone.
The Micro HDMI is the most miniature HDMI connector of the three. It is also the least commonly used, as a lot of its functionality for small devices like smartphones instead uses the USB Type-C technology. This USB Type-C can bring forth similar functionalities to that of the Micro HDMI.
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Comparing Standard A HDMI vs. Mini HDMI vs. Micro HDMI
| HDMI Connectors | HDMI (Standard A) | Mini HDMI (Type-C) | Micro HDMI (Type D) |
| What Are The Connectors Uses? | HDMI Standard A transmits uncompressed audio and video to most common media devices such as a television, monitor, and PCs. Many consoles use them too to send uncompressed audio and video to monitors or televisions. | Mini HDMI cables send uncompressed video and audio to and from mid-size devices, like tablets, DSLR Cameras, and small monitors. | Micro HDMI cables send uncompressed video and audio to and from small devices like smartphones and HDMI action cameras. |
| How Do The Connectors Work? | Simply plug both ends of the HDMI (male) into the input and the output port (Female). | Simply plug both ends (male) into the input and the output port (Female).
Many of these connectors come with a Mini HDMI connector on one side and a Standard A HDMI connector on the other side. This way, you can output uncompressed video and audio to a device, such as a television, that only has a Standard A HDMI port from a Mini HDMI input device, like a tablet. |
Simply plug both ends (male) into the input and the output port (Female).
Many of these connectors come with a Micro HDMI connector on one side and a Standard A HDMI connector on the other side. This way, you can output uncompressed video and audio to an HDMI Standard A device, such as a television. |
| How Much Do These Connectors Cost? | Standard A HDMI cables are relatively inexpensive to buy, and even the top-of-the-line Standard A HDMI cables are affordable. | Mini HDMI cables are inexpensive. | Although the Micro HDMI cables are relatively inexpensive, they are slightly higher priced than the Standard A HDMI and Mini HDMI.
This spike in price is because these HDMI connectors are becoming rarer as Type-C USB connectors are slowly replacing their functionality. |
Vance is a dad, former software engineer, and tech lover. Knowing how a computer works becomes handy when he builds Pointer Clicker. His quest is to make tech more accessible for non-techie users. When not working with his team, you can find him caring for his son and gaming.