Question about cables

[Elesianne]

Hello everyone!

If this is an inane question, I apologise, but having noticed warnings about the possible dangers of USB-C cables, I decided to ask before trying anything. (Also apologies if my terminology is off, English isn't my native language, nor is this my area of expertise.)

I bought a Lumia 950 a few days ago, as my Lumia 1020 is dying a slow death, and the 950 is my first device that uses USB-C, so I only have one charger and one USB-C-to-A data cable for it - the ones that came with the phone. Now, I'm used to the convenience having more than one charger for my phone so I checked out the prices for USB-C chargers and it turns out they are insanely expensive, as all accessories are here in Finland (one salesperson very nicely told me that the prices are likely to come down as USB-C becomes more common, which is no doubt true but not guaranteed to happen soon).

So my question is: I have the USB-C-to-A data cable for my shiny new Lumia 950, and I have a wall charger for my old Lumia 1020 - is it safe to use them together?

 

[N_LaRUE]

Your English is absolutely fine. I lived in Finland for about a year and I know most Finnish people are cautious about their English.

If you have a certified and compliant USB A to C cable then you should be fine. The issues with most USB A to C cables were due to cheap knockoffs.

Most importantly is the current differences. A USB A port cannot handle 3A so a resistor is required to reduce the current. If you don't have a compliant cable this could cause some major issues.

Lastly, yes everything in Finland is very expensive.

 

[hprvez]

You can plug your cable and your phone into any usb wall charger safely

 

[N_LaRUE]

You can plug your cable and your phone into any usb wall charger safely

It is only safe so long as the cable is certified. Otherwise there is potential to damage your devices.

A blase statement like this helps no one.

 

[Elesianne]

Thanks for the help, N_LaRUE. I'm going to assume that the cable that came with the phone is safe and certified, because anything else would be terrible. So I'll use it with my old wall charger.