Beware: OnePlus 2 “2016 Flagship Killer” also has a killer USB Type-C cable

OnePlus 2 USB Type-C cable

Looks like OnePlus may have taken its “flagship killer” moniker a little too literally. A Google employee has discovered that the OnePlus 2‘s USB Type-C cable can cause damage to certain devices due to non-compliance to industry standards and using incorrect resistors.

Benson Leung, otherwise known as Caped Cable Crusader or USB Vigilante, is a Google software engineer by day and a cable critic by night. He orders cables from various manufacturers from Amazon, tests them and posts reviews on their respective products pages on the site.

Leung discovered that OnePlus’ USB Type-C cable did not follow the Release 1.1 USB Type-C specification and uses a 3A identifier resistor instead of a ‘Default USB Power’ one. He warned that using the cable with a Chromebook Pixel, Nexus 6P or Nexus 5x may cause damage to the charger, hub or PC USB port.

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Problematic cables usually come from no-brand resellers and may also be knock-offs. However, Leung’s surprising discovery of OnePlus’ killer cable does not bode well for the brand’s “Never Settle” motto. Did OnePlus cut corners to reduce cost?

OnePlus 2

Cheap cables and chargers are commonly found in retail channels. Admit it, you’ve bought some too. While you may save a buck or two buying knock-offs and brand-less items, it isn’t until things go wrong that you’ll realise that perhaps we all shouldn’t be “penny wise pound foolish.” Especially when safety is at stake.

In the case of OnePlus, it might actually be wise for OnePlus to issue a recall for the affected cables to avoid any sort of PR nightmare in the future.

If you own a OnePlus 2, make sure you don’t poke the cable into any non-OnePlus product.

Source: Soyacincau.com

Vernon
Vernon is the founder and chief editor of Vernonchan.com. A graphic designer by profession, he has a deep love for technology, cars, gadgets, food, and travel. He tweets too much and is also known as a caffeine bacterium ("life's too short for bad coffee"). Bleeds Blue (go Chelsea FC!) and considers BMW, Porsche, Alfa Romeo cars to have in the garage--hallmarks of a true petrolhead.