9 in 10 consumers surveyed support the Government move to standardise charging cables for smartphones and tablets

June 17, 2023, New Delhi: India is likely to soon adopt the recommendations of a Consumer Affairs committee on common charging port, like the European Union has done, by June 2025. The recommendations have been forwarded by the Department of Consumer Affairs to MEITY, which is likely to notify the framework soon, according to reports.

Earlier the Consumer Affairs Ministry had announced that mobile device makers and technology companies in India will have to adopt USB Type-C as the standard charging port for electronic products by March 2025, three months after the European Union, as the country strives to align with the global timeline. With the objective to reduce the number of chargers per household to minimise the amount of e-waste generated, the EU has directed that all the smartphones including iPhones sold in its member states should come with a common USB Type C charger from December 28, 2024. Laptop makers have been given time till 2026 to comply. While over 98% Android smartphones use USB Type-C as a charging port, iPhones rely on proprietary lightning ports. USB Type-C is a cable and port standard set by the USB Implementers Forum, a global non-profit organisation, created to promote and maintain specifications of the universal serial bus.

LocalCircles has been receiving feedback from consumers on the need for standardisation as well as the high price and poor availability of OEM brand accessories. As a result, most users in India end up buying generic chargers and charging cables. While some generic charging cables perform well, there are also counterfeit cables that are rampantly available across shops and online and they are dangerous to use. There are media reports rife about how fake mobile phone chargers, when connected to the electric port, either blasted or caused fire leading to consumer injuries. Many of them over time, cause damage to the mobile device as well.

To understand the consumer feedback, LocalCircles has conducted a national survey asking consumers about why they think that smartphone and tablet makers have different types of charging cables for different devices. It has also attempted to understand if there is a need for the Government of India to introduce a uniform standard for charging cables. The survey received over 23,000 responses from consumers located in over 303 districts of the country. 64% respondents were men while 36% respondents were women. 43% respondents were from tier 1, 37% from tier 2 and 20% respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

Majority consumers believe makers of smartphones and gadgets have different charging cables for different devices to maximise sales of accessories for device makers and due to lack of government standards

The first question in the survey asked household consumers, “Why do you think smartphones and tablet makers many times have different types of charging cables for different devices?” In response, 32% said “To maximise sales of accessories”, 6% said “Consumer convenience and standards thinking is missing”, 13% said “Lack of government standards”, and 38% said “All of above”, and 4% cited “Other reasons” while 7% did not have an opinion. On an aggregate basis, the majority of consumers believe makers of smartphones and gadgets have different charging cables for different devices to maximise sales of accessories and due to lack of government standards. This question in the survey received 11,907 responses.

9 in 10 consumers demand that charging cables for smartphones and tablets must be standardised by the government

With the Government announcing earlier that they are considering standardisation of chargers and a common charger for different types of gadgets, the following question in the survey asked household consumers, “How should charging cables for smartphones and tablets be standardised by the government?” In response, the majority, 78% of consumers said “All smartphones and tablets should have the same USB charging cable regardless of the company”, 9% said “All smartphones should have the same USB charging cable”, and 4% said “All smartphones and tablets from the same company should have the same USB charging cable”. Only 6% of consumers said “The current system is fine where different smartphones and tablets have different charging cables regardless of the company”. 3% did not have an opinion. On an aggregate basis, 91% of the consumers surveyed support the government move to standardise chargers for different smartphones and tablets. This question in the survey received 11,796 responses.

To summarise, the findings indicate that majority of Indian consumers are unhappy that there are different charging cables for different devices like smartphones and tablets, and believe that brands do the same to maximize sales of accessories. Since the charging cables made by brands are priced high, majority end up buying generic version. 9 in 10 consumers feel that there should be common standards for USB charging cables like the European Union as they believe it will help to drive prices lower and make OEM brand charging cables more affordable.

LocalCircles will share findings of this survey with the Department of Consumer Affairs and MEITY so the framework can be finalised quickly and Indian consumers can soon have common charges across various devices.