Recently a Google engineer by the name of Benson Leung took it upon himself to review the various USB-C adapters that were available in the market today. Based on his findings, it seems that a good many USB-C adapters out there are apparently not in compliance with industry standard specifications.
In fact Leung had recently posted on Google+ that singled out OnePlus’ USB-C adapter. According to Leung, “Don’t buy this #USB #TypeC adapter for your Chromebook Pixel or Nexus 6P/5X phone. It uses the wrong identifier resistor. Oneplus needs to get the message that their accessories are out of spec…”
So if you did buy the adapter from OnePlus, does it mean you have to be concerned? We suppose it depends on who you want to believe. According to BGR India, they reach out to OnePlus to comment on Leung’s claims in which the company responded by saying, “The OnePlus USB Type-C cable and adapter are compliant with USB 2.0 and Type-C 1.0 protocols. They can safely be used with the OnePlus 2 to transfer data and charge the phone.”
Leung claims that because the adapter does not allow for power delivery of up to 3A, and because the device will attempt to draw that amount of power, it could end up potentially damage it, thus leading to his post. “Having a weaker than 3A charger is actually a risk factor because the device being charged will always try to charge at 3 and if the older adapter can’t handle 3A, that is when it might be damaged.”
USB-C is expected to become the standard for USB in the near future. Several devices like the OnePlus 2 along with the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P have adopted the standard, and we expect that come 2016 there will be much more, so hopefully all of this will be sorted out by then.
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