What happens when you use those enticing $3 fake chargers for your phone?

October 01, 2018

This holiday season, beware of low-priced, fake charging cables for your smartphone.

“I got a great deal on an iPhone charger and it was only three dollars!” said many well intentioned consumers year after year.

Staying away from fake phone chargers might seem like common sense, yet many will still use them because of their enticingly low price point. And why not use them? They seem effective in charging your phone just fine. Right?

Many offshore retailers or foreign sites may entice you to buy these ultra-low-priced chargers, but what exactly happens when you use a fake charger, and how can you spot one?

Subpar Materials

Fake chargers are cheap because they often don’t have insulation tapes, protective cases and aren’t designed properly for your specific phone model. Three dollars may seem great but the cable will likely wear out quickly.

Battery Damage

Leaking electrical current and limited current flow can not only cause charging times to be slower but can also damage your phone’s battery and shorten the life of your phone.

Headaches with Syncing

Fake Lightning cables for iPhone and fake micro USB cables for Android devices may not behave normally while syncing your data. OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer – cables have built-in chips while fake ones don’t or may contain one that isn’t compatible with your iPhone or Android.

Fire!

Intermittent electrical current from a charger to your phone can trigger a fire and, in extreme cases, an explosion. Reports of fire hazards and even deaths due to a fake cable charger make the news time and time again.

Spotting a Fake Apple Charger

If you accidentally bought a fake Lightning to USB cable charger, usually the easiest way to know is when you have it plugged in. You will see a notification on your screen saying this “accessory is not compatible” when you are charging or syncing. A legitimate cable has a chip built in for authentication.

How to spot a fake charger

For a list of ways to spot a fake micro USB 3.0 charger visit: http://visihow.com/Check_if_a_Samsung_Charger_or_Cable_Is_Original

What if I don’t want to pay the expensive price for an official charger I find in stores?

Opting for official OEM third-party Lightning cables is the best way to go. While they aren’t nearly as cheap as fake cables, they are still usually less costly than the name brand ones in stores and will meet the same standards.

Third-party cable charges are available in colors other than white – some are even double in length! Dual functional charger cables are gaining in popularity and could make great stocking stuffers this holiday season. They double as a micro USB on one side and an Apple charger on the other. These are super convenient when friends are over and one needs to charge their phone, but they naturally have a different phone than you.

Charge an array of devices with just one cable and stop the headaches of using several:

See Classy Case’s dual cable charger.