MiniUSB

MiniUSB refers to a family of small USB connectors that was commonly used on portable devices during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It is smaller than the standard USB Type-A and Type-B connectors and served as the primary physical interface for data transfer and charging on many consumer electronics before the rise of micro-USB.

The Mini USB family includes two main plug types, mini-A and mini-B, and sometimes a mini-AB receptacle used on OTG-enabled devices. The mini-A plug was typically associated with host devices, while the mini-B plug was used on peripheral devices. A device with a mini-AB receptacle could connect to either plug type, enabling basic On-The-Go functionality on some platforms.

In practice, Mini USB ports appeared on digital cameras, MP3 players, GPS units, and early smartphones. The connector supported USB 1.1 speeds in many devices (up to 12 Mbps on full-speed) and could carry USB 2.0 speeds (up to 480 Mbps) when both device and cable supported it. However, the Mini USB standard has largely been supplanted by the smaller micro-USB connector, which offered a slimmer profile and broader adoption for charging and data transfer.

Decline and replacement occurred during the late 2000s and early 2010s as micro-USB became the dominant standard for mobile devices, followed by the later adoption of USB-C in many newer devices. Today, MiniUSB is largely considered legacy technology, found mainly on older cameras and some legacy devices rather than contemporary hardware.