Remember that crusader/Googler/awesome guy who has been reviewing the USB Type-C products out there to make sure they’re 100% compliant with the standard and safe for use? Well, his latest discovery involves an adapter from a high-profile manufacturer: OnePlus.
According to him, OnePlus USB Type-A to USB Type-C adapters are not up to spec, noting that the adapter uses the wrong identifier resistor. The issue is that phones which charge at 3A — which most devices employing USB Type-C do — will always request 3A from the cable. If the cable doesn’t properly handle 3A then it can potentially damage both the cable and the phone itself.
But that’s not to say the USB cables are bad for OnePlus’s own phones. The product should be just fine to use with the OnePlus 2 as it doesn’t request that much amperage for charging. The warning is more for owners of other devices like the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X or the new Chromebook Pixel who might have purchased the OnePlus adapter to use as an extra for their devices.
And just because your device appears to be charging fine right now doesn’t mean there’s you won’t have issues in the future. There’s no telling what could happen if you charge your device using out-of-spec accessories in the long haul.
The point here is that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Get the official Google cables, or buy one of the green-lit products featured in the engineer’s Amazon reviews. You may have to shell out more money, but it would amount to a drop in the bucket compared to replacing one of these devices should they get damaged. In the meantime, he’s hoping OnePlus gets the message and starts making products which are fully compliant with the standard so folks won’t have to worry in the future.
Phandroid
