HDQDD

Don't know, and don't want to find out. My bigger concern is that they often have very low, or unstable current output. Not worth the chance of damaging my devices.

HDQDD

"bricks"?

I keep old bricks (and cords) in a bin in the basement. Every now and again, someone in the household will need one for a Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP8266 project or something else that needs a legacy brick and cord. Most of them are already labeled as to what voltage/amperage they can provide. All of the ones I've taken time to test, have tested fine...but I do find that the major brands tend to fail less often (admittedly my "research" is 100% anecdotal).

crackjack

This was a purely marketing exercise which the press picked up and hyped for no reason. Lumafield made specific decisions in how to showcase their technology, and none of the media questioned it; even Ars Technica, which normally has more thoughtful articles, just regurgitated the ‘Apple cable good, cheap cable bad’ nonsense. Reddit thread pointing out the issues with Ars’s article and the LF marketing in general.

Savage’s video is similarly inherently flawed, as even the top comments on the YT video clearly state.

Doing a comparison between Apple (2m Thunderbolt) cables and objectively-cheap $10 (likely 60W) USB 3.x / USB2.0 cables tells you nothing other than that this kind of cheap stuff is manufactured to lower specs. Mind-blowing.

There are a number of other well-regarded manufacturers which offer TB cables similar to Apple’s (except at 3m length) which are almost certainly closer or even the same in build quality at 2/3 the cost or less, or USB4 cables for <50% the price. Those would be much more appropriate for comparisons to Apple’s cables, but…




With regard to your main question, lots of information also in the following thread: Outfitting your travel kit for USB-C

My kit now consists of:

• 1x USB-A Apple 5W charger
• 1x Belkin 30W thin charger
• 1x
  Innergie 63W 60c charger
  Innergie 63W 60c charger
• 1x Kikkerland plug adapter
• 1x Mogics plug adapter
• 1x USB-C charge cable (USB 2.0) + an Innergie C-to-micro adapter (to charge micro USB devices, now out of production)
• 1x USB C-to-Lightning cable (iPhone)
• 1x short USB A-to-Lightning (enables passthrough charging from power bank)
• 1x USB-A-to-micro w/ attached micro-to-Lightning adapter
  1x USB-A-to-micro w/ attached micro-to-Lightning adapter
  , + a USB-C-to-A adapter (to use w/ C chargers) and a micro-toC adapter (to charge USB-C devices, though @ 5V only)
• 1x power bank w/ a USB-C & a USB-A port

That gives me access to different plug-point types & placements (e.g. behind a chair) plus dual-device charging, as well as decent redundancy. I could probably streamline to 1 USB-C charger, 1 plug adapter, 1 USB-C cable + a micro adapter & 1 Lightning cable, and 1 power bank if really needed, fallback being to buy / borrow in case something stops working.
(I still need Lightning for my ‘mini’ iPhone and micro-USB for my headphones, will go all USB-C once those get replaced… but that is likely not in the next 2 years.)

As USB-C is just the physical connector itself, you need to also choose the cable’s data type:

• USB 2.0: 480Gbps (basic data)
• USB 3.x: Options between 5-20Gbps, IIRC
• Thunderbolt4 or USB4: up to 40Gbps (at 1m)

From what you’ve said, you likely want either a 3.x or TB4/USB4 cable. They will likely be thicker and less flexible as they have more wires inside (iirc, USB 2.0 cables have 6 wires, USB 3.0 up should have 16).


You also need to decide on the wattage you require (cables are voltage agnostic, at least from 5V-20V):

• 60W (max 3A), fine for most devices up through ultrabooks / non-workstations. Will also charge USB-PD capable workstations / gaming laptops, though their batteries may still drain (more slowly) at higher CPU/GPU loads; if turned off / idling, the battery should charge to full, though slower than at 100W.
• 100W (max 5A) if you have a more powerful laptop (these will likely disappear in favour of 240W cables). >1m cables are active and need a chipset within, hence more expensive.
• 240W (max 5A) future-proofs for the mid-term, but very limited devices go over 100W currently via USB-C (Framework 16 is the only one I can recall right now). 1m 100W (non-TB) cables also do 240W, as they are passive cables. >1m cables are active cables, so must have a chipset which specifically allows it.

Again, 100W @ 240W cables may be thicker and less flexible as the wiring inside carrying the 5A current needs to be of a higher gauge.

StuckInYYZ

I'm at a disadvantage as I'm stuck with my smartphone to reply, but if I want to attack, my target with a malware loaded USB device is not the CEO. It's the overworked technical engineer who is under appreciated... CEO doesn't have access to squat. But the L3 security engineer who has access to the entire client database?

If I want to hit a government official or corporate CEO, I would use a different attack method like a rogue Hotspot.

LtKernelPanic

I wish Anker would say if their power strips are dual voltage or not like they used to. I specifically bought the original version of the 524 power cube years ago since it was rated foe 240v mains and has worked beautifully for both US and international travel with the proper adapter.

KRSW

I don't know how I overlooked this one as it's what I equip our staff with by default -- Anker 615. ( ). Portable power strip (2 AC outlets, 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A) and the cord neatly wraps around it. 65W. Unfortunately it has the same issue as every other multi-port charger in that it only puts out full power with 1 USB-C connected and each port has a different rating... Brother P-Touch to the rescue. I label them (Phone, Laptop, Phone) before handing them out to staff. It drops down to 45w / 18 w when two devices are connected, which is enough to keep our users happy.

Slow-charging is always the best way to go if you have the time. This has been true for as long as batteries have been made, no matter the chemistry. Although, with as cheap as USB battery packs are, you always have the time.

I do like USB packs which can be quickly charged themselves though. I'd rather beat up a USB battery pack than my devices. The Anker 26800mAh battery pack ( ) battery packs as well. Both charge in 5 hours, which is slow for the 10,000mAh pack, but reasonable for the 20,000mAh.

You won't have a problem. USB-A generally only puts out 5 volts DC at 0.5A-3.5A. Think of Amps as current available to the device for its use if it chooses to use it. The only exception are devices which use the Snapdragon Quick Charge protocol (usually Android), and those are smart enough to query the charger to see what it can do. If the charger and phone both support QC, they'll have a little conversation and see what they both support, then will dance.

In a research lab? I'm sure it's out there. In the wild? NEVER. Android locked USB access in 2013, so it's not a viable way of passively getting data off a phone. I believe IOS implemented similar features in the same year in IOS 7. If you're worried about it, go search Amazon for USB Condom (seriously). Or use a cable without data pins, or use a USB meter which can block data, or use a USB battery bank as a pass-through. Plenty of options, but even with the stuff I deal with, I'm not worried about it.

The issue is that higher-power ports require larger, heavier, more expensive circuitry. A power supply may have 3 USB-C ports, but realistically most people aren't going to be charging 3 laptops simultaneously. Hence the different ports. Save the expensive circuitry for the heavier loads (laptops). There's no harm in plugging a small device into a more powerful port, but the other way around (heavy device into a weak port) isn't good. It won't damage anything in the short term, as the laptop should pop up a Slow Charging warning and will reduce its power draw, but you're definitely putting a lot of strain on the weak port's circuitry. It'll handle it, but why put 100% stress on a port when you can use the next port over where the same load would only be 30% of its capacity.

Lithos

Just fair warning, my workplace issued 16" HP (Zbook Studio G9) will refuse to charge on anything smaller than a 100W adapter. I'd definitely recommend checking the manual or around tech forums to confirm what the requirement for charging your particular model over USB-C is. Mine is a relatively powerful spec with a 14C CPU and discrete GPU, about the same size as a 16" Macbook Pro, so this might not hold true for your 14", particularly if it doesn't have a GPU.

Every other laptop I've had with USB-C charging would at least trickle charge on smaller ~35W USB-C PD adapters. This behavior left me in a pretty uncomfortable position on a trip where I didn't bring my 120V wall adapter, so it's definitely worth confirming.

To that end, I use an Anker Prime 100W 3-port (2x USB-C, 1x USB-A) charger as my primary travel power adapter. It will do 100W over a single port or split to 65W+35W using two USB-C's. About $60-70 online. It's more expensive than the generic single-port 100W adapters but also quite a bit smaller. I especially like the flexibility to charge 2-3 devices simultaneously without carrying around extra power adapters for when I don't need the high wattage output.

I also carry an Anker Prime 20k mAH 200W power bank that can output 100W simultaneously on both of the two USB-C ports. It charges at up to 100W and supports passthrough charging. I only recently got this but it's already proven really nice for air travel. It means I can quickly top up all of my devices in the terminal or lounge, even if a wall power adapter isn't available or is broken. Only real downside is that it's less pocketable than the standard 10k maH "slim" style power banks - not that nice to carry on your person except in an empty front pant pocket. Anker makes a larger 240W 27k mAH version (limit of carry-on battery size), but that's overkill for my needs.

In terms of cables, I have an assortment of Anker, Ugreen, and Amazon cables. Most recently I've been bringing 1x 1ft 140W, 1x 6ft 100W w/ thunderbolt, and 1x 6ft 100W USB-C. Also carry a 6ft USB-A to USB-C, mostly as a backup or if I end up in a rental car with Android Auto but without wireless or USB-C. Just the basic cables really are fine in my opinion as long as they're from a reputable seller and you double check what specifications you need in terms of power and data transfer.

Bandicoot

It seems like these are not very common - it is hard to find any reports of "juice jacking" in the wild other than demonstrations at the Defcon security conference and proofs of concept by security researchers.

Android phones by default disallow USB debugging, and also always prompt the user before the phone is made available to the "host" computer connecting by USB as a set of file drives. If these two attack vectors are blocked, and the phone is handling the USB port just for charging, there's little the malware can do to force itself on to the phone. I won't say the threat is zero, and there may be badly configured phones out there or those with bad software, but probably not something to worry about a lot. YMMV. I use power outlets if they're available, but if none are nearby and I need to charge, I'll use a USB slot without worrying about it.

moondog

This part of your excellent post caught my eye because I've been wondering why any manufacturer would include an A/C charging systems in products that support USB-C charging. I mean, even if it's a modification of an older unit (so space and circuitry are already in place for the A/C setup), they could presumably reduce costs by simply not installing those parts. And, I (as a user) certainly don't want to lug around the A/C charging unit/wires. It also gave me a slightly negative impression of the HP brand, at least in terms of innovation. Furthermore, since USB-C is a clearly a secondary charging method, I can't help but think that it could be better than it is if they had made it a priority (I actually don't know whether or not it is better, worse, or equivalent to the A/C system though...this is just a matter of how I perceive it for now).

KRSW

Mrs. KRSW's work Dell Latitude laptop also has the Dell-proprietary barrel DC plug AND support USB-C. Why? Likely it's cost. Considering you can find a replacement Dell charger on Amazon for as cheap as $7 and USB-C charger+cord equivalents are $30+, this seems to be the obvious answer. The DC bricks are just pumping out 19vDC all day long, no USB-C negotiation circuitry needed. No real risk of consumers blowing up their devices by plugging their phone or other devices into it.

StuckInYYZ

I'd like to test that theory, unfortunately my budget is next to nil. I can think of several devices that could bypass the android challenge, but have to buy them first (not tools specifically but even simple devices). There are specifically created USB cables out there, but those aren't cheap and would be highly specialized.

As for juice jacking, it can be done, but approach could potentially be more devastating. Think of it this way. Set up a charging station...Some malls have them. You could potentially do a lot of damage until someone got wise.An airplane could be very destructive.

I purposely carry my charger and power bank for this reason

gfunkdave

iPhones also don't allow it by default. They disallow plugged in USB devices from interacting with the phone (except to charge) when the phone is locked and prompt you to allow them once unlocked. It's in Settings - Face ID & Passcode - Accessories toggle..

RandomNobody

That's not comparing what you think they're comparing. While they both used the USB-C form factor connector, the Apple cable was a Thunderbolt 4 cable, while the Amazon cable was a USB cable. Totally different protocols.

Compare the Apple cable with another TB4 cable, and that would be a more valid comparison.

If what's on both ends of the cable isn't Thunderbolt, then you're paying for a cable you didn't need. It'll still work, as both the ports and cables can talk multiple protocols, but it would be overkill to use a TB cable on a USB 2.0 (or even 3.x) device.

crackjack

To correct myself, having read elsewhere: the M3 16” Macbook Pros (not earlier M-chip versions) can now do 140W charging on both the MagSafe 3 port (as with earlier M-chip versions), but also now on the USB-C ports.
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/11/07...c-fast-charge/

Whereas before it didn’t make sense to use an EPR-capable USB-C cable for the MBP16 (as it only charged via EPR over MagSafe), new MBP16 owners may now want to consider it, instead of the MagSafe cable - 1 less cable in the bag.

So, it seems there are now 3 laptop lines which can do >100W charging via USB-C: the Framework 16, M3 16” MacBook Pros, and the MSI A13VX Prestige 16 Evo. Still, the Framework 16 is currently the only one which can do 180W charging - as well as 240W charging, once a necessary 240W/48V charger exists.

MalFr

For reference certain Dell XPS can also take 135w, although i normally use a ugreen 100w charger for a slightly slower charge.