According to the technical specifications for the Asus ZenBook Flip 14 UX461UN, and the manual, they all say this about the USB-C 3.1 port:

This port is for data transfer only.

General question: What are they trying to say it won't do?

Specific question: This laptop comes with a dedicated graphics card capable of 4K, and I'm looking to get a type of pseudo-docking station via USB-C, which would provide 4K Video/Audio and USB for HIDs. Is this possible, or is the dedicated graphics card not connected to USB-C in that way?

2 Answers

Based on the statement, "This port is for data transfer only." I highly suspect that the USB-C port is not using USB Alternate Modes. USB Alternate Mode is what is used to carry DisplayPort or Thunderbolt signals over USB-C. There would also be a physical internal connections to these chipsets to allow the transferring of that data. That port is most likely only connected to the USB controller. Therefore, you could not use it to connect an external monitor.

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There’s no such thing as a USB 3.1 data-only port that is compliant with all the standards. However, some manufacturers use cheaper USB ports, by only implementing some of these standards.

One of the most common omissions is that of power charging, since data transfer alone needs less power than does charging. One can see this more clearly by examining USB Type-C cables, which by definition should offer up to 10Gbps data rates and 100 watts of power. However, many cheap USB cables designed for data transfer can only supply about 10Wh of power, insufficient for many devices such as the Apple MacBook or Google Chromebook Pixel 2 that charge at 29Wh.

USB 3.0 ports can only be used for data transfer. Users of USB 3.0 devices devices can purchase adapters allowing them to use the newer USB 3.1 Gen 1, but again, for data transfer only. My opinion is that the specifications of the Asus ZenBook mean just that: The USB 3.1 port is only a frontal adapter to older (and cheaper) USB 3.0 hardware.

A full implementation of the USB 3.1 standard means the USB port can do a lot of things: Data transfer, video and charging. The Thunderbolt 3 specification piggybacks on USB 3.1 ports, meaning that manufacturers like Apple can make computers with USB 3.1 ports that are also Thunderbolt ports.

"USB 3.1 Gen 1 (data transfer only)" means therefore the USB 3.1 protocol, but at half the speed and without video, charging, or Thunderbolt capabilities. As most USB 3.X devices can negotiate capabilities with the port or the cable, most USB 3.1 devices using data transfer will still function, but at lower levels of performance.

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