Should all phones use the same charging cables?

Could they not ship new phones with a practical and simple adapter for lightning to USB-C so users can still use their existing cable and not throw them away? I was an iPhone user in a home of micro USB and USB-C ports and it was such a pain. Universal connections for all!

wavechange says:

I have been very happy with the Lightning connector on my iPhone. It has the advantage that it is compact and will fit in the socket either way round, unlike the connectors used on most phones made in recent years.

USB-C is also reversible and will probably become standard on laptops and many other devices but is too thick for thin phones. Maybe mobile phones are unnecessarily thin.

The reason I don’t support the use of USB-C on phones is because some of the cheap USB-C phone adaptors sold for phones are a fire risk if used to charge larger devices like laptops. (A laptop needs a more powerful USB-C charger.) I had bookmarked reviews of different phone chargers on sale on Amazon where reviewers had reported overheating and near-fires but the products and reviews have now been removed.

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Tom Barry says:

2 February 2020

I have had USB C phones for some time and it simply isn’t true that the connector is to thick for thin phones. My OnePlus 7 is the same thickness as an iPhone 11 – both are 8.1mm. The USB C connector is narrower than these phones – where is the problem?

The comment about fire risk chargers is also spurious. There are many chargers (advertised on Amazon and elsewhere) for Apple products which are dangerous and do not comply with EU safety standards. This doesn’t make The Apple standard connector dangerous – it just means that dodgy products are dodgy whatever and however they connect.

This is just Apple fan boy rhetoric trying to go against the obvious logic of standardising like products to a common base.

DerekP says:

Aftermarket 3 in 1 cables for micro USB, USB-C and Apple are readily available.

So all I need is a charger that will take one of those cables.

USB-C is now used to charge some phones. But, as wavechange noted, USB-C is also used to supply completely different voltages when charging laptops, so you should probably not attempt to charge one of those with a phone charger.

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wavechange says:

I presume that it won’t be long before wireless charging replaces charging cables for phones. I had to replace my phone after Christmas – a month before it reached its sixth birthday. 🙁 It seems that the new on can be charged wirelessly. I will use the supplied charger and Lightning cable for the time being, and now have a spare charger and cable from the old phone.

Maybe mobile phones of the future won’t have charging sockets, but if would be worth making sure that all wireless phone chargers are interchangeable.

wavechange says:

Oops. That was not intended as a reply to your post, Derek.

I presume that if you have decent USB-C phone and laptop chargers no damage will occur if they are accidentally swapped. The specification for USB-C is very complex and I have seen warnings that using substandard cables can cause damage to connected devices.

DerekP says:

From what I’ve seen of wireless charging for iPhone 8’s, it has some downsides from a design perspective, e.g.

The charging pad has a similar are to the phone, so is not as compact as charging cable.

A cable is still needed, between the pad and its mains adaptor.

To enable efficient electromagnetic coupling, phone backs are now made of glass, so can fail and crack rather like phone screens .

Relative to an iPhone 6, an iPhone 8 is much harder to repair.

wavechange says:

As far as I know, wireless charging is not as fast as using a cable and there will be energy losses.

Having had a look at the battery replacement procedure it certainly looks like fun, but Apple is not the only manufacturer that glues the screen in place these days.

I presume that a charging pad will generally remain in one place, so there is less risk of damage to the cable. It is amazing how many people unplug their charger by yanking at the cable. 🙁

The new phone is tucked away in a leather case that protects the front and back. Old-fashioned I know but it works.

DerekP says:

If the same power supply is used in a less efficient manner, then I’d also expect wireless charging to take longer.

I also think wireless charging will be useful for intensive phone users, as their phones will need continual recharging.

wavechange says:

From what I have read, wireless chargers don’t generally charge as fast as ordinary cable chargers. That’s partly down to reduced charging current and partly because of the heat produced, as in inductive coupling in a transformer.

A conventional phone charger has a DC output whereas a wireless charging pad is operating at very high frequency to improve coupling efficiency. I cannot find details of the power supplies used for the charging pads but would be surprised if they use conventional phone chargers. My phone’s thick leather case will protect the phone from damage but it may reduce the charge rate or even block wireless charging.

It looks as if phone manufacturers are going to standardise on one type of wireless charger – the Qi charger.

With wireless chargers operating at high frequency, there is the possibility of radio interference.

alfa says:

From the intro:
But Apple has responded strongly, saying that that dropping the Lightning connector ‘would create an unprecedented amount of electronic waste‘.

That is a very poor argument.

As far as I know, every new phone comes with a new charging cable and plug. Standardisation would mean phones could be sold without charging cables so you only buy them when you need them.

That is what would cut down on electronic waste.

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DerekP says:

I think the original goal of being able to sell phones without chargers has not succeeded. Most, if not all, phones do indeed seem to come with chargers and cables.

One of the issues here is that, at least in theory, a cheap, sub-standard, charger might damage or degrade a phone, so it makes sense for manufacturers to supply a charger of a known acceptable quality for each phone.

I think the best way to minimise electronic waste would be for manufacturers to produce durable phones and then support them with easy availability of parts and software upgrades. For example, I think the iPhone 6 is a good example of a phone for which parts are readily available and for which repairs can be undertaken without specialist skills or equipment (etc.).

wavechange says:

Normally I would agree with what you say, Alfa, but the problem is that many of the cheaper third party chargers are not safe: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/09/killer-chargers-travel-adaptors-and-power-banks-rife-on-online-marketplaces/ In addition to the risks mentioned, a dodgy charger can wreck a phone, resulting in more electronic waste. At least genuine chargers are safe and likely to be durable. If Apple would reduce the ridiculous prices for their phone chargers, fewer cheap ones would be sold.

Edit: I agree with the comments made by Derek.

alfa says:

I see your point as people naturally look for the cheapest.

The only way around that would be only phone manufacturers could sell charging cables. I can’t see that working either.

wavechange says:

I doubt it but consider the motor industry, where third party parts approved by the manufacturer are cheaper and of equal quality to the OEM parts.

Where people complain about the cost of Apple and Samsung chargers I suggest they buy another well known but cheaper brand such as Belkin.

DerekP says:

I normally think of Belkin as an expensive brand for phone accessories, but then I’m not an iPhone user.

I have bough a couple of 2nd hand iPhones for family members who suffer from that addiction – and even those cost me far more than I’ve ever spent on brand new phones for my own use.

wavechange says:

I mentioned Belkin because it’s a well known brand that seems to produce decent products, which are often discounted. My Belkin phone charger is rarely needed to charge the phone but I use it to charge a sat-nav. Apple sells some Belkin products.

malcolm r says:

Part of this problem would be addressed if we could deal with the sale of fake products, and of unsafe products. I consider that if there were substantial penalties imposed on any distributor / retailer selling these deficient goods we would much reduce the consumer detriment; that includes marketplace operators. There is nothing wrong with third party products – indeed they are essential for a healthier market – but I want to know that when I buy a Samsung or Belkin product it is exactly that.

wavechange says:

Warnings about cheap dodgy phone chargers have appeared many times over the years. Here is one from 2014: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27390466

We need a choice of chargers but not hundreds of them, especially when many are not even branded. Perhaps the online marketplaces should be required to have products tested before putting them on sale. The cost of doing proper tests would soon restrict the number of models they stock.

Jon Stricklin-Coutinho says:

In case you missed it, USB-C has taken a big step forward toward universality, with the European Parliament having voted in favour of a single universal charging solution.

Based on our poll and the comments so far, it seems like most people think this is a good idea, so as long as the cables are of acceptable safety and manufacturing standard.

Now that this is moving forward though, anyone feel differently?

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wavechange says:

Some USB-C chargers can deliver up to 100W power. Although they are intended for use with laptops they will plug into a phone. If something goes wrong with the lead or the phone, there is the risk of a fire, even if the charger is compliant with all safety standards. The main problem is short-circuits in worn charging leads.

The best advice I can give is to use the charger supplied with a phone and never a laptop charger. It may not be long before Which? provides the same advice, Jon.

DerekP says:

Thanks Jon.

For phone and tablet chargers with detachable leads, I think the USB-A socket is already the defacto standard; I don’t see any need to change from that for such lower powered devices.

I don’t own any USB-C devices myself, with the exception of one laptop that has a dedicated USB-C charger.

Laptop chargers often require much higher ratings that phone or table chargers, so I wouldn’t expect those functions be interchangeable.

From what I’ve seen over the last few years, cables are the shortest lived component here, while charger units are the longest lived component. Phones tend to last longer than cables but not as long as charger units.

In the UK we’re also seeing a lot of wall sockets that now provide both 13A 3pin and USB-A outputs.

Hence, for phones, I think a general move away from the use of USB-A chargers to USB-C chargers eventually risks creating oodles of electronic scrap, in the form of redundant USB-A charging devices.

I’d also argue that tablets might now be far less universal than phones, so any specific needs of tablets (for example higher charging currents) should not be allowed to influence general provisions for smartphones.

wev says:

I have Apple and Samsung at home, and the lightning connector used by Apple seems to be more sturdy and strong, with a better fit into the socket

Samsung’s USB3 connector is a bit loose or wobbly, seems thinner and less strong. I think it will wear out or break before the Apple one

If Apple had been allowed to keep making its own designs, maybe they could have made an even stronger connector. I think the EU decision is wrong

Also none of you are talking about the cancer risk from wireless charging

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DerekP says:

Hi wev, my experience is that the children in my family tend to destroy Apple Lighting connectors much more readily that other forms of charging connector. That said, they do get through micro-usb ones as well.

Thankfully it is now possible to buy decent quality replacement Lighnig cables without having to pay Apple prices.

Finally, I doubt that there is a cancer risk from wireless charging, just as I don’t think there would be one from hifi loudspeakers.

wavechange says:

Kids need to learn to handle small connectors carefully and not yank the cable. I have used a charger and cable with a Lightning cable for about six years. At Apple prices I would not want to have to replace them.

Wev – It is extremely likely that there is any health risk associated with using wireless chargers. They would be better referred to as inductive chargers because the range is so short that the thickness of a phone case can interfere with their operation.

Mobile phone systems and wireless routers bathe us in radio waves, so are much more likely candidates to cause us harm but despite great efforts they have not been shown to be a health risk.

DerekP says:

wavechange – at paragraph 2, line 1, did you mean to say “unlikely”?

wavechange says: