OnePlus is Offering Refunds for Flawed USB Type-C Cable
OnePlus recently admitted that the USB Type-C cable for the OnePlus 2 does not conform to the USB Type-C 1.1 spec, and has agreed to give refunds. This admission comes after a Google engineer, Benson Leung, tested the OnePlus 2’s USB Type-C cable and concluded that it “may cause damage to your charger, hub or PC USB port” if used on a fast-charging device.
However, there’s a condition to the refund. Since the cable won’t cause any damage to the device itself, those who own the handset will not receive the refund or replacement cable. Instead, OnePlus will only refund those who purchased the cable separately. The company is of the opinion that the cable works fine for its intended purpose, that is to charge the OnePlus 2. However, someone who is unaware of the issue may just grab the cable and use it to charge some other handset or a laptop like Google’s Chromebook Pixel.
“If you’ve purchased these products to use with devices other than the OnePlus 2, we are going to offer an opportunity to apply for a refund on those products purchased through the OnePlus website. Please note that cables that were included in the box with your OnePlus 2 are not eligible for a refund, since they are safe to use with the OnePlus 2.”
The device could draw more power than the charger itself is able to support, since it has the wrong resistor for the USB Type-C 1.1 specification (10 k-ohms instead of 56 k-ohms). A good USB charger will cut off power without any damage, but a bad one could fry, or worse, catch on fire. Ideally, recalling all the faulty cables and replacing them would be the right thing to do, but those planning to keep them should “mark it with a tag so you don’t forget it’s special,” according to Leung.
