Google engineer finds most USB Type-C cables aren't built to spec

[abaxas]

Lets face it, there are more 'standards' to USB than any human could ever understand.

My betting is within a year there'll be another one, with 18 different connectors etc.

[Percy1983]

Luckily my 99p hdmi cables pass the same digital signal and same quality as a more expensive one. Unlike the analog days there isn't better colours to be had, if the cable is bad the picture will break up etc.

As for these cables mentioned it is due to a wrong component which is a rather different issue.

[peterb]

The 'Amazon Basics' range seem as good as any, certainly for HDMI and Lightning connectors. So I would expect their USB C to be OK too. The ones tested were sourced from Amazon, but weren't Amazon branded.

[ik9000]

The 'Amazon Basics' range seem as good as any, certainly for HDMI and Lightning connectors. So I would expect their USB C to be OK too. The ones tested were sourced from Amazon, but weren't Amazon branded.

I use Amazon basics usb3.0 cables and they're fine. Quite good in fact.

[=assassin=]

Handy to know this information for the future, although I personally don't have any devices that make use of the Type-C connector yet. I normally just go off average ratings anyway for products, and make sure that the average is based off a decent number of reviews.

[qasdfdsaq]

don't disagree, but on cables? Do you really expect that 99p HDMI from a 3rd party seller "genuin in UK, fast shipng" to give you a proper TV image compared to the shielded £9.99 one from a reputable seller?

Do you really expect a £9.99 "shielded" cable to give you a proper TV image compared to a $249 UltraHD™ Black Platinum Ultimate High Speed Triple Shielded MONSTER CABLE® with Performance Indicators and Loaded with Precision Monster Technology?

I use Amazon basics usb3.0 cables and they're fine. Quite good in fact.

Same, however USB-C is a slightly more demanding spec, what with 100w power delivery and alternate mode and what not.

[kalniel]

Do you really expect a £9.99 "shielded" cable to give you a proper TV image compared to a $249 UltraHD™ Black Platinum Ultimate High Speed Triple Shielded MONSTER CABLE® with Performance Indicators and Loaded with Precision Monster Technology?

If you're talking digital, yes, of course.

[anselhelm]

I'm not a fanboy, but you have to realize that Apple products have excellent build quality--much better than most Windows products. The only ones that have really come close are the XPS line, the new Book line, and the Razer Blade--and what do you know? You're paying the same if not more.

Unfortunately you're misinformed.

Firstly, please advise of the precise Microsoft products to which you are referring that have shoddy build quality. Please note that another manufacturer shipping a device with Microsoft software does not count. (In other words, it must be a first-party Microsoft product.)

Secondly, please google Apple Staingate and still honestly tell me that Apple's products (which is to say products that are both built by Apple and powered by their software) are categorically higher quality than specific other brands. (If you look further, you will also find multiple issues with generations of iPhones, iPods and their branded cables, which are frequently brittle.)

I'm not a Microsoft fanboy, nor am I an Apple hater, but to correlate the higher prices that Apple charges with higher quality is not backed up by evidence.

[jim]

Unfortunately you're misinformed.

Firstly, please advise of the precise Microsoft products to which you are referring that have shoddy build quality. Please note that another manufacturer shipping a device with Microsoft software does not count. (In other words, it must be a first-party Microsoft product.)

That's a pretty arbitrary restriction that's got little to do with what plexabit was talking about. If we're talking about laptops, then naturally you can't restrict the conversation to MS-branded hardware.

And for what it's worth, when it comes to laptops, as much as I despise Apple I don't think I've seen anything as sturdy as the Air.