If you have a USB-C device, by now you’ve most likely read about Google Software Engineer Benson Leung’s unfortunate encounter with a faulty third party USB-C cable that fried his Chromebook Pixel. Leung has been on a mission of late and tested numerous cables from various sources for quality and compliances to specifications. But just how do you know who to trust with your devices when purchasing and using a third-party USB-C cable?
First, a quick primer on USB-C.
With nearly 3 billion devices housing USB ports shipped each year, USB is by far the most utilized type of peripheral connection. USB-C solves consumer frustrations by now allowing the connection of USB devices to computers with a universal connector that’s capable of twice the theoretical amount of speed of USB 3.0 and provides far more power. USB-C supports a top speed of 10Gbps; and with a power output of up to 20V (100W) and 5A, consumers can power most small notebook computers similar to the way tablets and smartphones are now charged. With USB-C, consumers now have the freedom to own one type of cable for all of their devices — both current and future iterations — and they can purchase solutions from the brands they trust most.
Monoprice, a name synonymous with very affordable, high-quality cables, is one of those companies that has received Leung’s stamp of approval on their Select Series USB-C cables. Leung gave them a glowing 5-star review, with no cons, and concluded with the following statement:
A high quality charging and data sync cable from Monoprice. The cable is a great safe way to charge and data sync your new USB Type-C devices such as Nexus 6P/5X or Pixel devices. It is future proof for fast charging USB Type-C devices to come, as well as future proof for USB 3.1 SuperSpeed devices like the Pixel C!
So what makes Monoprice so different from other third-party cables available from Amazon or other online retailers? According to Monoprice’s Senior Product Manager Chris Apland, it’s about trust and quality.
“USB-C is more than a change in the shape of a connector but a major leap from previous USB updates. The new standard pushes well beyond what most cable makers can do. For example, USB 3.0 is a few years old and many of the cheap cables out there won’t even fully pass that standard. With USB-C 3.1, voltages have doubled and bandwidth has grown exponentially. I think a lot of competitors made bad guesses in favor of keeping costs low and rushing to market. If the pin out is wrong or a faulty connector is used, the cable becomes garbage, but because they were in a rush, they planned to fix it later. We have been working on USB-C since the beginning and our whole business is based on trust and built on quality. We only use the highest quality in deep drawn and reinforced connectors and tier 1 chipsets on our cables and have also taken the extra step to also sand blast connector edges for a smooth connection. All of this is backed by our lifetime warranty. We were able to launch USB-C first, hitting the mark right out of the gate, and we will continue to grow our range of USB-C products to provide an alternative to customers.”
Features and benefits of Monoprice’s USB-C line of cables and adaptors include the following:
- Realize full data and power capabilities, and minimize insertion loss with reinforced zinc-alloy connectors
- Assure the highest signal integrity and maximize connector strength with a full metal jacket wrapped around a quad-shielded and braided cable
- Buy with confidence with a lifetime warranty on all of Monoprice’s cables
And there you have it, if you’re in the market for an affordable, high-quality, and compliant USB-C cable for your devices, you can take Benson Leung’s word that Monoprice cables will do the job without frying your expensive devices.
[button link=”http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030319&p_id=13004&seq=1&format=2#review” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Monoprice[/button][button link=”http://www.monoprice.com/pages/usb_31_type_c” icon=”fa-shopping-cart” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Purchase from Monoprice[/button]Last Updated on July 4, 2016.
