The micro plug design is rated for at least 10,000 connect-disconnect cycles, which is more than the mini plug design.[5][71] The micro connector is also designed to reduce the mechanical wear on the device; instead the easier-to-replace cable is designed to bear the mechanical wear of connection and disconnection. The Universal Serial Bus Micro-USB Cables and Connectors Specification details the mechanical characteristics of micro-A plugs, micro-AB receptacles (which accept both micro-A and micro-B plugs), and micro-B plugs and receptacles,[71] along with a standard-A receptacle to micro-A plug adapter.
The cellular phone carrier group Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) in 2007 endorsed micro-USB as the standard connector for data and power on mobile devices[72] In addition, on 22 October 2009 the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has also announced that it had embraced micro-USB as the Universal Charging Solution its "energy-efficient one-charger-fits-all new mobile phone solution", and added: "Based on the Micro-USB interface, UCS chargers also include a 4-star or higher efficiency rating—up to three times more energy-efficient than an unrated charger."[73]
The European Standardisation Bodies CEN, CENELEC and ETSI (independent of the OMTP/GSMA proposal) defined a common External Power Supply (EPS) for use with smartphones sold in the EU based on micro-USB.[74] 14 of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturers signed the EU's common EPS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).[75][76] Apple, one of the original MoU signers, makes micro-USB adapters available – as permitted in the Common EPS MoU – for its iPhones equipped with Apple's proprietary 30 pin dock connector or (later) "Lightning" connector