With the rise in consumer electronics, cheap knockoff USB cables have flooded the market. But counterfeit or poorly made cables can slow down charging, lose data connections, or even damage your devices.
Tips to identify fake or low-quality USB cables:
We recommend only using a certified USB-C cable (also known as a USB Type-C cable), otherwise, you may be purchasing a counterfeit product that could damage or destroy your devices. It's important to understand why counterfeit cables can be hazardous and the easiest ways to identify them.
If you use an uncertified or counterfeit USB-C cable or accessory, you could experience these issues:
- Your device could become damaged
- The cable might be easily damaged
- The connector end may break off, weaken, or might not fit properly into your device, which could damage the port
- You might not be able to sync or charge your USB device properly
To identify counterfeit or uncertified cables and accessories, look carefully at the accessory's packaging and at the accessory itself. Look for certification icons and consistency of design.
Dangers of USB-C Counterfeits
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOUR CABLE IS AUTHENTIC AND NOT A COUNTERFEIT?
- Make sure that your USB-C cable has a USB certification mark.
- Check to make sure that the product packaging has a USB certification emblem on it.
- Make sure that the certified manufacturer logo is straight and not blurred or crooked on the cable and/or the product packaging.
- If it seems like too good of a deal, it probably is. Be suspicious of massive discounts on what may appear to be Genuine USB-C (AKA USB Type-C) cables on online retail sites.
- If the packaging has spelling errors, is damaged, or seems incomplete in any way, it is probably a fake.
To make sure you are getting a certified genuine quality USB-C cable, make sure to look for the logo and USB certification icons. Remember, when you purchase directly from the brand website you'll have the assurance of knowing that you're getting 100% certified products.
Are you planning to purchase a charger or USB cable accessory for your phone but don't know if it is original or fake? Here is a close side-by-side comparison along with other notable differences.
Below I have outlined the 18 noticeable differences between fake and original chargers and USB cables that would help you in identifying whether the charger and cable you are purchasing for your smartphone is original or fake.
1. Build Quality of the Charger
The very first thing you are going to notice when you pick up your charger is its overall build quality. The genuine charger should feel well-built, solid, and strong; whereas the fake charger would feel like it is made of some cheap plastic.
2. The Weight of the Charger
If you take your original charger along with you when making your purchase for another charger, you will be able to distinguish between genuine and fake chargers just by assessing their weight. Due to the superior build quality, the genuine charger should feel heavier as compared to the fake one.
3. Corners and Edges of the Charger
If you compare the top side and the edges of the original charger with the fake one, you will notice that the fake charger’s corners and curves are uneven and have some excess plastic, whereas the original charger has smooth and levelled edges. (As you can see in the picture below).
4. Joints on the Charger
Both, original and fake chargers, have a joint in the middle. The original charger has a smooth and flat joint whereas the fake one has a sharp and prominent joint. (Highlighted in the above image)
5. USB Connector Port Slot on the Charger
As we have discussed in the last point, the cutting and joints of the USB connector port slot of the fake charger also have uneven corners and edges.
Whereas, the original charger has well-built, smoothed, and flattened edges. (As you can see in the picture above).
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6. Charger Plugs
The European standard plugs on the original charger feature an extra layer of plastic on the lower end of the structure of the plugs to provide extra strength and support, which also enhances its overall durability.
Whereas, on the fake charger you will notice that there are simple plugs without any durability structures. (As you can see in the picture below).
7. Micro USB Connector Size
On the micro-USB to USB cable, you are going to notice that there is a significant difference between the micro-USB connector size of the original USB cable and the fake USB cable.
The original micro-USB connector is smaller in length and is closer to the body, whereas the fake USB cable has a larger micro-USB connector and there’s more space between the connector and the body, which is more likely to get broken after frequent usage. (highlighted in the image below)
8. Micro USB Interlocking
If you pay close attention to the interlocking, you will notice that the original micro-USB interlocks are consistently placed, trapezoid in shape, and have an equal distance.
Whereas, on the fake USB cable, the micro-USB interlocks are inconsistently located and are square in shape. (As you can see in the picture above).
9. USB Symbol on the Micro USB Connector
The USB symbol imprinted on the micro USB connector body has variations. As you can see in the picture above. The original USB cable’s connector has a light-coloured laser-imprinted symbol whereas the fake one has a darker-coloured USB symbol.
10. USB Connector
As you can see in the picture below, the surface of the original USB connector shell has a small oval hole. Whereas, the USB connector shell on the fake USB cable has a flat surface.
11. USB Symbol Imprint on the USB Connector
As mentioned in difference number 9 above, the USB connector end also has a slight variation in the USB symbol imprint colour. You can see the difference between the two in the above picture.
As you can already see, the differences were so minor that one would never be able to find out which one is the original accessory and which one is the replica unless both chargers and USB cables are physically positioned side by side and closely inspected, just as we did in this article.
12. Markings and Text on the plug
Look at the plug to see if there are any CE markings (certification marks) which is the European Law for product safety standards. Most counterfeits don't have the proper facilities to stamp such a mark or the verified certification. Even when they have been marked CE they will look faded or wonky, but beware some are more sophisticated.
13. Plug pin finish
This is a more obvious sign of a fake plug. The placement of the 3-pin connectors can be slightly off or not fit the plastic casing correctly. This is a sign of poor workmanship, leading to the cost of the plus being so cheap. Genuine plugs will align correctly and fit the casing perfectly with no loose pins and a flush fit.
14. USB port
Usually, the USB port on fake plugs is a big giveaway of authenticity and reliability. Most fake plugs have wonky or loose USB ports and the connection is difficult.
15. Materials
Using cheaper materials to construct fake plugs and cables is the obvious reason for them to go bang. The cheap price you pay for them is due to a lack of high-quality materials used. Components within the head of a cable are compromised to the bare minimum and soldering is missed, which allows for crossed wiring or overloaded circuit boards. Electrical currents will overload and without the right components built into the cable or plug, there is an increased risk of fire, electrical shock or an overloaded phone battery.
17. Check the weight
This check is pretty straightforward, the weight of the plug or cable head is a big giveaway that you’re buying fake. With genuine cables or plugs, they are much heavier as the correct components have been used whether it is solid metal to thicker plastic it all adds to the weight.
18. Check your voltage
Use a voltage meter before you use your plug or cable, this will allow you to determine whether or not it can carry the correct voltage as advertised. Manufacturers of fakes will lie about the genuine voltage it can carry, this is not only very dangerous but also damages your phone's battery and takes a lot longer to charge.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would say that the differences that have been mentioned in this article are hard to identify if you don’t have an original product or accessory with you to compare and differentiate between the two.
As already mentioned in the beginning, using a counterfeit or fake charger with your smartphone could damage it over time, if not immediately. So I will recommend you use genuine products and accessories only.
Most chargers that are circulating are counterfeit. These chargers have not been through the same strict quality control process as genuine cables from manufacturers such as Samsung, Apple and Sony. Each head whether it be a 8 Pin Lightning. Micro USB or USB-C must go through the correct manufacturing process for them to be safe. There have been plenty of incidents whereby these fake cables have been the leading cause of household fires, battery explosions and electric shocks. We will teach you how to correctly identify genuine cables from fake counterfeits.
I hope we have helped you in making your charger and USB cable purchases stress-free with the compiled list of visible differences, which one can only find out if they already have an original charger and data cable that comes officially in a box along with the phone.
These differences would assist you in confirming whether the charger and USB cable being sold by the seller and/or supplier are genuine or counterfeit.
Also, if you have planned to order a Genuine charger or USB cable from any online e-commerce store then I will suggest you make sure that the supplier you are placing an order with is authentic and provides a refund policy.
This way, you would be able to get the product refunded later in case you find out that the charger or cable is fake.
Apart from the visible differences between the original chargers and the fake ones, there might be some variations in their circuits as well as the output power and current ratings. Keep in mind that poorly made charger circuits with different output power ratings than the original ones could permanently damage your smartphone.
