Even tech experts sometimes disregard the importance of owning a quality charger. “I never could have realized just how important fast charging would become,” says Digital Content Producer Yasir Nawaz. “What started out as a novelty, at least for me, is now an essential feature. Unfortunately, I’ve had some bad experiences with them, which has forced me to be extra careful of choosing which charging cable I use for my phone.”
Unfortunately, there is an explosion of cheaper charging options out there that may get the job done — temporarily — but that aren’t the highest quality options for long-term use.
“While there are multiple options you can go for, the one option I’d actively advise you to avoid is the Remax charging cable,” Nawaz says. “Within a week of usage, I could see that my battery’s performance had declined significantly. In two months, I actually had to get my battery replaced. Throughout the entire process, the charging cable was the one third-party element I used. Since then I’ve switched to other third-party charging cables, and none of them have given me the trouble that Remax did.”
In general, the best thing to do is to avoid knockoff and cheap portable chargers, says David Cusick, Chief Strategy Officer of House Method. “Some users tend to buy cheaper portable chargers to save money, but it can eventually become more costly to you,” Cusick says. “Knockoff chargers don’t typically go through quality check and pass regulatory standards, so they could do more harm than good to your device.”
The one way to achieve peace of mind when it comes to charging your device is to stick to chargers from an official store or brand of your device. “If you have an Apple device, use chargers that are Apple-approved,” Nawaz says. “You’ll be more assured that your charger is safe for your device and the environment.”