The One Crucial Reason Why You Should Never Buy Counterfeit Phone Chargers
Cheap imitations are dangerous.
By John Lim — 25 Apr 2016, 02:31 PM
Smartphone chargers have been making headlines locally for some - literally - shocking reasons
On 15 April, a housewife in Cheras was electrocuted to death while she was making a call on a charging phone. Over the weekend, on 23 April, a man was injured when his mobile phone that was put on charge exploded, injuring his face, right ear and chest.
Although there are no details about what type of chargers both individuals were using, it still highlights a long-standing question - should you be using a counterfeit smartphone charger?
A counterfeit might help you save a few bucks, but it comes with risks.
Why are counterfeit chargers dangerous to use?
All genuine mobile phone chargers must undergo stringent testing to ensure they meet all national and international levels of safety. Uncertified chargers can be produced to appear legitimate and as a cheap alternative to genuine accessories, but often contain sub-standard components, low-quality manufacturing, and poor performance.
Because of that, these chargers can be volatile and unpredictable, making them very dangerous to use.
What type of materials are used to make counterfeit chargers?
Many counterfeit manufacturers cut some important corners when it comes to production. They don’t have insulation tapes, protective cases, or are just poorly designed. Some leak electricity so you can literally feel the current if you put your hands on them.
For example, an original Apple Lighting cable is a one-piece design and has a smooth finish. The connectors on the cable are always rounded and smooth. A counterfeit Lighting cable is going to have the skimpy build quality and show signs of poor craftsmanship.
John Drengenberg, a consumer safety director, warns owners of any smartphones be really careful when it comes to counterfeit chargers
“What you are charging is a lithium-ion battery, if you charge it at the wrong current it could heat up the internal phone batteries or the charger itself and cause a fire or an explosion,” said Dregenberg, who is the consumer safety director of UL, a global independent safety science company.
Having troubles differentiating original and counterfeit chargers? Here are some of the tell tail signs of counterfeit chargers:
Price: If the price sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Poor quality: Look for inaccurate printing, misspelled words, crooked label placement and signs of defective workmanship.
No warranty: All genuine mobile phone manufacturers offer a limited warranty that covers the handset, software and accessories. Most black market products don’t.
Product description: Look out for words like “Replacement battery for…" or "Charger compatible with…”. Genuine products tend to only state which model handset the product is for.
Do you have any bad experiences with counterfeit chargers? Let us know in the comments below!
Always choose to get genuine certified electronics that have gone through thorough safety checks to avoid unwanted incidents like this. Check out deals for phones and accessories on Handphone Malaysia Coupons page.