USB Type-C ports may be the future, but that doesn’t mean this next-generation standard is free from growing pains.
The latest issue to pop up with the port involves the LG G5 and HTC 10. Some users have expressed concerns about the fact the two phones feature both USB-C and Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
The worry is that this specific combination of standards may make the G5 and 10 fire hazards.
The answer, it turns out, is complicated.
Benson Leung, the same Google engineer who pointed out that the USB-C cables OnePlus used to sell on its website weren’t built to spec, says the two standards aren’t compatible with one another. The short and dirty version, according to Leung, is that the USB Type-C standard doesn’t allow the variable voltage trick Qualcomm QC 3.0 uses to top up devices in less than a hour. “Type-C Spec forbids it,” he says in a Google+ post.
Qualcomm, on the other hand, says HTC 10 and LG G5 owners don’t need to be worried. In a statement to Android Central, the processor manufacturer says the two standards are compatible.
“Qualcomm Quick Charge is designed to be connector-independent. It can be implemented in a device that supports a variety of connectors, including USB Type-A, USB micro, USB Type-C, and others. When an OEM chooses to implement Quick Charge into their device, they can configure the voltage to fit within the specifications of the USB Type-C standard,” said a spokesperson for the company.
The company goes on to say it has yet to receive any complaints. Moreover, as Android Central itself notes, both the two phones and their respective chargers have been certified as safe when used properly by UL, a company that handles safety certification in North America; they carry a similar certification in the European Union.
For what it’s worth, during our own time with the two devices, we’ve been able to charge their batteries, using various Type-C cables and wall chargers, without issue.
[source]Android Central, Google+[/source]
