(Last Updated On: September 9, 2016)

Quality over Quantity. Forever and Always. This standard goes for nearly everything you buy because if it doesn’t fit the standard of quality, then you’re most likely going to be returning what you bought or have a damaged product and having to buy another one. Purchasing low quality products is a terrible thing because it wastes time and money.

The law of Quality is very apparent when buying electronic products like charging electronics. There are so many chargers out there in retail stores and online. How do you differentiate between what’s good and bad so you get the best charging tech and avoid bad quality products?

We’ve created a 5 way rule to help you decide what products are garbage.

#1: The Charger Does Not Feature Smart Charging

Smart charging technology is not a new type of way of charging, well not exactly; These kinds of charging devices means that the charger will be able to charge your device at the fastest and safest possible speed. Smart charging is not Quick Charge but it’s capable of charging device at 2.0A and 2.4A of charging speeds.

If a charger that you plan on buying has no indication of smart charging technology, then look at the Amp amount. If the amp amount of a USB charging output port is 1.0A, then it’s a very bad idea to purchase it, because a speed of 1.0A is a very slow charging speed and obsolete by today’s standards.

However if the USB charging output port is 2.0A or above and doesn’t indicate it to have “Smart Charging” then it’s still okay to get because the Amp amount is high enough for fast charging.

The reason why it’s better to choose power banks, USB Wall chargers, car chargers and any other types of chargers that have Smart charge tech, is because they ensure that you’re getting charging speeds of 2.0A or above. If you’re looking at a charger that is 1.0A of charging, then it’s a obsolete charger that will charge your devices slowly.

#2: The Charger Is Overpriced

This is actually a very common concern when it comes to buying charging electronics. The pricing of chargers can be very different when it comes to chargers that are of real quality and other chargers that are not worth their price.

How is overpricing done?

Overpricing is done by taking advantage of the lack knowledge that people hold of charging electronics.

For example: is a one port USB Wall charger that’s labeled as a “Apple Certified” charger really worth $19? The answer is a definite NO, because charging electronics that are sold from the companies that are the founders of smartphones or any company that sells charging electronics that don’t have a focus in charging electronics are bound to overprice their products .

Here are the reasons companies that don’t specialize in charging tech, overprice their products:

• They genuinely think that charging electronics are still expensive

• They don’t know what the tech is worth

• They’re are taking advantage of people’s lack of knowledge of what really holds quality

• They are behind the times of charging technology and should really just focus in what they specialize on.

How do you avoid purchasing overpriced products?

• Don’t buy chargers that are labeled as “Certified Apple Chargers” or something alike.

• Purchase your products from companies that only specialize in charging technology. These companies excel on creating quality fast charging products and products that are able to last a long time.

• Don’t purchase your products from retail stores. Ever. Retail stores know that you’re going to make an impulse buy because you’re in the store and ready to buy. Purchasing a USB Wall charger or cable will end in regret because it’s not going to be a quality product, just a impulse buy. Learn more about why you shouldn’t purchase charging products from retail store here.

#3: The Charger Advertises “Fast Charging” but Has 1.0A Charging Speed

It’s known that everyone wants fast charging. We live in world that charging is a need but fast charging is becoming a growing need as well. Since we use our devices throughout the day, it’s vital that our smartphones stays charged. Maybe at half day, you’re device may be near zero and you still have places to go and things to do; You’re going to need fast charging technology to go through your day smoothly.

Since companies know the vital need for charging, they know that by advertising a product as “Fast Charging” is something that people will love. But you must look closer than just a big advertisement because what really matters is the actually charging speed of the charging electronics.

Take a look at the image above. The power bank is the PowerCore+ 10050. The information that is encompassed in the red rectangle is the input and output charging speed.

Output charging speed: The output charging will look something very similar like the above. Matched along with the voltage, the Amp speeds are shown next to it. This charging is the charging of the device you’re using.

• 2.4A – The fastest charging speed that you can get before you upgrade Qualcomm Quick Charge.

• 2A – The more standard speed of charging that is common throughout charging electronics.

• 1.5A – A slight step above from the slowest charge of 1.0A.

Input Charging Speed: The input charging speed is the recharging speed of the power bank. Input refers mostly to power banks because they need recharging, while other chargers such as Wall chargers and Car chargers have no need for input.

Notice above how their is no charging speed of 1.0A. That is because Anker and companies similar to Anker are focused on charging electronics to be fast and settling for the slowest charge at 1.0A is not acceptable. If their products were charging at 1.0A speeds then their customers would notice and complain that their devices don’t charge fast. In this case though, it’s labeled what charging speeds their chargers have and it lives up to standards.

Not only that, the power bank above uses Quick Charge 2.0. This means that if you have a device that is compatible with Quick Charge and use the power bank, then your device will charge at 3.0A charging speed. Ultimately, if you don’t have a Quick Charge enabled device, you’re still able to achieve a fast charge.

It’s good to know what the labels mean and how they connect to your experience with the product you’re buying. When you see a “Fast Charge” advertisement on a product, know that “Fast Charging” actually has standards and that you should follow what we mentioned.

#4: There’s No Mention of Quick Charge Charging

Quick Charge is a fast type of charging technology that is able to charge compatible devices at charging speed of 3.0A. That is some fast charging. Compatible devices with Snapdragon specific processors are able to be compatible with Quick Charge, so you should know if your device is or isn’t compatible with the technology.

Aukey One Port Quick Charge Wall Charger

The mention of Quick Charge technology should be apparent somewhere that you’re looking to buy a charger because it shows that you’re purchasing a charger from a company that is with the times and updated with the tech.

These kinds of charging companies are mostly online. Not many retail stores have charging tech like Quick Charge or even Smart charging available with the charging electronics that they sell, because they either don’t know about the tech or they think that the tech is not something that’s in demand. They are wrong.

If you have an iPhone, then you’re excluded from the Quick Charge crowd because iPhones are created without Snapdragon processors. If you’re an Android device user, then you may very likely have a smartphone that is compatible with Quick Charge, so fast charging may be available.

Retailers and companies that don’t provide the value of fast charging to their customers, should not be valued.

#5: The Size of the Power Bank Is Too Big for its Capacity and Price

The advancement of portability is becoming increasingly prevalent within charging technology. We are able to hold lots of power capacity within a small device and that’s the way it should be. However that’s not the case for nearly every charging device.

Tech like power banks is where the size of the product should be small and the capacity should be quite high for its size.

Take a look at the power bank below.

The above is a power bank sold by Xiaomi. It’s a 16,000mAh power bank that has two charging ports, LED light power indicators, a Micro USB recharge input port and a power button. As for the size of the power bank, it’s very long and is quite wide as well.

The capacity of the power bank is good but the size isn’t optimal enough for what other power banks offer. There are power banks that are actually smaller, have higher capacity and cost less than the Xiaomi power bank which is $36.99

The Aukey PB-N36 20000mAh Power Bank is such a power bank that is able to offer traits that excel further than the Xiaomi power.

It has:

• a capacity of 20,000mAh,
• has two USB output ports that are able to charge at 2.4A each
• Micro USB input
• USB Type-C input
• A LED Flashlight
• A power button that also acts as a power indicator by changing colors

The Aukey power bank has improved functionalities and offers a greater capacity. All of this comes with a smaller size of the power bank. More importantly the price of the 20,000mAh power bank is $29.99. All of the improvements, including the size of the power and the end result is a lower price.

That is when you know the company that made the product knows what they’re doing, because they know the value of charging tech.

Look for products that are optimal at what they provide. The Xiaomi power bank was a good power bank that met expectations but it’s now obsolete compared to modern standards of what a power bank is meant to be. You should not pay more than what a product is originally worth.