4 Of The Worst USB-C Cable Brands You Can Buy

David Benito/Getty Images Add SlashGear on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover USB-C cables are ubiquitous nowadays, with almost every modern device using them for charging and data transfer. As a result, the market is flooded with cables of all shapes and sizes. It’s important to know the differences between USB-C cables before you buy, and to properly research the type of cable you want rather than just buying the first listing on Amazon.

Sometimes, you just need a list of brands to avoid, and we have a few listed below. However, we tell you more than just not to buy them — we break down exactly why these USB-C cables are the wrong call. That way, you can use this information about what makes for a good USB-C cable to make informed purchasing decisions in the future. Just don’t forget to pick up a proper USB-C fast charger to go with your new cable, as the cable alone won’t deliver the best charging performance.

Koshiro K/Shutterstock The Amazon Basics line of USB-C cables is an interesting case. They’re not the worst cables you can buy, and Amazon does list the cables’ specifications on the store page. But Amazon also sells USB-C cables from countless other brands, which raises the question of why you would buy an Amazon Basics cable over another brand.

This Amazon Basics cable is USB 2.0 and offers 15W charging. These aren’t the worst specifications, but generally, you can do better. While USB 2.0 cables allow a longer maximum length than 3.0 cables (around 16 feet and 6 feet, respectively), the Amazon Basics example is only 6 feet long anyway, so it doesn’t make use of the main advantage of a 2.0 cable.

In addition, while you may not need the extra data-transfer speeds of a USB 3.0 or USB4 cable, it’s worth spending a couple of extra dollars to future-proof your cables. Given that this Amazon Basics cable is also made of plastic (unlike braided cables), it generally won’t be as durable as many other options on Amazon anyway.

Neal Mcneil/Getty Images Onn may not be a brand you are familiar with, but you’ve likely seen it before. This is Walmart’s brand of cables and other tech accessories. Its cables are among the cheapest around (barring the likes of Alibaba and Temu), and while Walmart isn’t the worst place to buy USB-C cables, it’s far from the best.

If you look at an online store page for one of Onn’s USB-C cables, you might first be surprised by the price, but when you read further into the listing, you might see why. The cable is listed as USB-IF Certified Fast Charging, but the only specified data transfer rate is 480 Mbps. There is no mention of the cable’s wattage, which helps determine how fast it can actually charge your phone. While it is worth mentioning that USB 2.0 cables have data transfer speeds of 480 Mbps, that is not something the average consumer will know or see as significant.

Generally, when a manufacturer doesn’t include information like this in product listings, it doesn’t want you to compare the cable’s specs to those of other known brands. For example, looking at a listing for one of Anker’s cables on the Walmart site, you can see the materials the cable is made of, the average number of charging cycles it’ll last, and its 60W charging capability. Given that other brands are only a couple of dollars more expensive than Onn’s cables, it’s not worth the savings when you don’t know exactly what you’re getting.

Sfe-co2/Getty Images Best Buy Essentials USB-C cables aren’t great, but they do have a use. If you’re looking for a USB-C cable at a physical store and can’t wait for shipping, a Best Buy Essentials cable may be a good option (if no other brand is available).

But in general, you can do far better than this brand. For one, Best Buy Essentials cables sometimes end up more expensive than name brands on Best Buy’s online store, so there’s no real reason to choose them over most other options. On top of that, the listings generally suffer from the same lack of information you see with Onn’s product pages.

The Best Buy Essentials options also fail to mention charging speed, only the data transfer speed — 480 Mbps, the same as the Onn cable above, making it a USB 2.0 cable. While you do at least get a braided cable design that will be more durable than a purely plastic one, given the speeds and oddly higher price, this option is really only good in a pinch.

Juliealexk/Getty Images Among cheap USB-C cables, there’s a particular type that transcends a specific brand name. If you’ve browsed any sort of cable on Amazon, you’ve likely seen weird names like Orseoose and Etguuds. These are called pseudo-brands, and while the prices may be tempting, you’re gambling with your money. While these are technically brands, pseudo-brand names are essentially random combinations of letters used to fast-track the trademark process, according to The Seattle Times. These are brands created to put up listings on Amazon, and they have no proven track record.

Unlike even the other brands above, you can’t know whether these cables are good or bad, or if the listed specifications are accurate. A cable may be listed as USB 3.2, but in reality, it’s a 2.0 cable, and the average consumer won’t know they didn’t get what they paid for. If consumers do find out and start giving bad reviews, the seller can take the listing down and create another one, often under a new nonsense brand name.

This can lead to scams, receiving products that don’t even have the correct brand name on them, and being unaware of defects that can be frustrating or even dangerous, since bad reviews disappear whenever the seller takes a listing down.