A Google employee recently made the news for reviewing many USB Type-C accessories on Amazon and writing reviews on them. A few of them got good ratings and reviews while the majority received low ratings and bad reviews including the USB Type-C cable and adapter from OnePlus.
Now, the company has come out with a statement that says its USB Type-C Cable and microUSB to Type-C adapter may not be perfectly safe to use with other accessories or devices. These two accessories will work perfectly fine with the OnePlus 2 which is what it is meant for but may face issues with other devices.
Typically, most people mix and match microUSB cables or USB 3.0 cables across devices without thinking much. But apparently, things do get quite complicated in cables and adapters especially when it comes to USB Type-C. The reason for the issue is that the OnePlus Type-C cable and adapter use a 10kΩ (ohm) resistor instead of the 56kΩ resistor that is advised by the 1.1 standard.
The cable and adapter from OnePlus are designed to handle a maximum of 2 Amps in terms of output. In case they are used on a device with quick charging for example say the Nexus 6p or 5X, there is a chance of damaging the power source which in this case would be the charger or USB port etc. So unless your charger has a 2A output with a self-regulating mechanism, it isn’t really advised to use it with other devices. The above chart will make things a bit easier for you.
OnePlus is owning up to their mistake and is offering full refunds for customers who purchased the USB Type-C cable and/or adapter for use with other phones. You won’t however get a refund for the cable that came with your OnePlus 2 purchase though. Additionally, OnePlus also stated that they are developing USB Type-C cables and adapters that meet the 56kΩ standard.