Samsung’s new Galaxy Note has cemented a big change for Android phones

Tech Insider/Corey Protin

Let’s all pour one out for microUSB.

The cable type that’s long powered Android phones (among many other devices) has slowly but surely given way to the newer, more flexible USB-C standard in recent months.

With this week’s arrival of the Galaxy Note 7, though, it’s time to start preparing our final goodbyes.

That’s because it’s the first Samsung phone to adopt the new port. And Samsung, as you might know, is very popular. According to research firm Gartner, Samsung held 23.2% of the global smartphone market last quarter, a good ways above Apple, and miles ahead of any other Android manufacturer.

That’s part of the reason it’s lagged behind HTC, LG, Motorola, Huawei, OnePlus, and others in actually using USB-C on a phone — its shifts carry more weight. Now, though, the biggest domino has fallen. While it's unlikely that every Samsung phone will move to USB-C right away, it'd be a shock if it wasn't there on any new higher-end devices from this this point forward.

This is a good thing. Transitions are annoying, yes, but USB-C is an absolute improvement over microUSB. It’s faster to transfer data, works across devices, and is fully reversible. When it becomes the norm, you’ll be able to use the same cable for both your phone and laptop (even if it’s a MacBook), and you won’t have to fiddle around to make sure it’s in the right way.

Samsung’s support will only expedite the process. That’s worth putting up with a dongle in the short term. That other big phone, however, is a different story.

NOW WATCH: Sorry Apple fans — the iPhone 7 is going to be boring