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No matter what products you purchase from China, the process of finding suppliers, placing orders, production follow-up and transportation is the same.
So in this article, we will give you some precautions for purchasing charging data cables from China.
Including the type of data cable, the details that should be negotiated with the supplier before placing the order, the issues that need special attention during inspection, and so on.
This will make your purchase journey more secure.
Phone Charging Cable Types
In the eyes of consumers, the data cable is very simple and there is no classification at all.
But as buyers, we should be professional in terms of products.
Details make a difference.
Below are some data cable categories on the market, hope to bring you some inspiration.
Classified by data cable interface
At present, the most common data cable interfaces are USB-micro, USB-type-c and Apple lightning.
Micro-USB data cable
USB-micro data cable used to be the most widely used data cable, called “Android cable”.
With the rise of the Type-c interface, there are fewer and fewer devices supporting the USB-micro interface.
At present, most mobile phone brands no longer support the USB-micro interface. USB-micro is now mainly used for some small electronic devices, such as alarm clocks, fans, desk lamps and so on.
USB-c charging cable
Type-c is a new standard interface that has become popular in recent years.
Not only does it charge faster and transfer data faster, it also has more and more powerful performance in all aspects.
More and more devices are beginning to adopt this interface. Common electronic devices that currently support Type C interface include: Samsung, HUAWEI, OPPO, VIVO, etc.
The most obvious feature of the USB-Type-C interface is that it has no fixed front and back sides, making it more convenient and faster to use.
Lightning iPhone charging cable
Lightning cable is an exclusive interface for Apple devices.
It first appeared in the 2012 iPhone5 conference. Starting from iPhone5, the new iPhones and iPads of all generations are equipped with this Lightning interface.
The Lightning interface also has no fixed front and back sides.
Classification by data cable material
As an ordinary consumer, the most intuitive feeling about the material of the data cable is that the cable is a bit hard or a bit soft and feels good.
But in fact, this different feel represents the different outer covering material of the data cable.
Although there are many types of data cables on the market, the outer covering materials used are nothing more than TPE, PVC, and Nylon.
PVC charging cable
PVC data cable is also the cheapest one.
It has non-flammability, high strength, weather resistance and excellent geometric stability.
The feel of the PVC data cable is hard.
TPE charging cable
At present, most of the original data cables of brand mobile phones are made of TPE material, such as Apple and Samsung.
TPE material has better elasticity and toughness than PVC. The performance of the data cable made of TPE material is stable, and the flame retardant reaches the V0 level.
TPE material can be recycled and is very environmentally friendly.
There is not much difference in appearance between TPE and PVC. But the TPE data cable feels a little softer.
In addition, the data cables of PVC material are easily twisted together, and the data cables of TPE will not be twisted together.
Nylon charging cable
It is well known that nylon is a kind of clothing material, so the folding resistance and durability of nylon data cable is naturally higher than that of PVC and TPE materials.
The feel of the nylon data cable is not as smooth as that of PVC or TPE.
The biggest advantage of nylon data cable is that the interface is not easy to break, which is the most common quality problem of plastic data cable.
Of course, in addition to the above-mentioned common materials, there are also many data cables made of uncommon materials, such as fabric, fishing net wire, and even metal hoses.
Classified by interface protection shell
When plugging and unplugging the data cable every time we charge, we touch the protective shell of the interface part the most.
Plastic interface protection shell
At the beginning, basically all interface protection shells were made of plastic.
Advantages of plastic protective shell: cheap, strong plasticity, light weight, comfortable touch…
At present, the most commonly used interface protective shell is PVC material, and a small number of better quality will use PC material.
Rubber interface production shell
Many people think that plastic is too hard, so some manufacturers use rubber instead of plastic.
In terms of feel, rubber is indeed better than plastic.
However, due to the emergence of fast charging, the interface will heat up during charging, and the melting point of the rubber is low. If the charging time is long, there will be signs of softening of the interface protective shell.
At present, the utilization rate of rubber protective shells is relatively low.
Metal interface protective shell
The interface protection shells of many nylon data cables are made of metal.
Metal heat transfer is good, so it can dissipate heat to the data line better.
However, if the data cable is used uninterrupted for a long time, the metal may be hot to your hands.
Classification by charging cable function
Magnetic charging cable
Magnetic data cable is a very popular data cable in recent years.
The biggest advantage of the magnetic data cable is that it is very convenient to plug and unplug, especially suitable for use when it is dark or when driving.
When you need to charge, you only need to close the data cable to the phone to complete the charge, which is very convenient.
And a magnetic data cable can be equipped with multiple interfaces, so having a magnetic data cable is equivalent to having three data cables.
But for buyers, because the magnetic data cable contains magnets, it will be more complicated to transport, and the transportation cost will be more expensive.
3-in-1 charging cable
The all-in-one data cable meets the requirements of multiple devices, which is similar to the characteristics of the magnetic data cable.
Therefore, with the rise of magnetic data cables, fewer people use traditional all-in-one data cables.
Fast charging cable
There are 3 main factors that affect the charging speed of the charging cable.
The size of the data cable diameter
The larger the diameter of the data cable, the faster the transmission speed.
Data cable interface
At present, most of the ordinary data cables on the market have USB2.0 ports, and the fast charging data cables use USB3.0 ports.
The length of the data cable
The longer the length of the data cable, the slower the charging speed.
Data transmission cable
Although it is said that the “data transmission” function is the most basic function of the data cable, many data cables on the market actually do not have the function of transmitting data.
Therefore, when buying, you must remember to confirm with the supplier whether the data cable has data transmission function.
What is the Wholesale Price for Charging Cable in China？
The unit price of a wholesale ordinary data cable from China is around $0.45.
The most expensive is the MFI iPhone data cable, which is about ten times more expensive than an ordinary data cable.
Where can you Find the Best Charging Cable Wholesalers & Manufacturers in China?
Data cable manufacturers are concentrated in the Pearl River Delta region, mainly including the three cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan.
The production of data cables is simple, most small factories purchase raw materials from material contractors and then assemble the data cable themselves.
Data cables produced in small factories are cheap, but usually have a short service life.
And the quality of the data cable needs to be used for a period of time to reflect. It is possible that when you receiving the goods, the data cables can be used normally. As a result, after a month, you find that many data cables cannot be used.
If you want to purchase a high-quality data cable, it is best to purchase from a factory that specializes in the production of data cables. Such a data cable has a longer service life.
Private Lable Solution for Charging Cable
Custom logo on charging cable
Many customers will choose to print their own logo on the data cable. The most commonly used logo crafts for data cables are laser engraving, silk screen printing and molding.
Laser carving logo
The laser carving process is suitable for metal materials, so the laser carving logo is usually printed on the metal protective shell of the charging head.
There is no MOQ requirement for the laser carving logo, and the cost is usually 0.1RMB/piece.
Silkscreen logo
The silk screen process is generally used on plastic materials, so it is mainly printed on the plastic protective shell of the data line interface.
There are MOQ requirements for silk-screened logos, usually 500-1000 pieces.
The cost of silk-screened logo is usually 0.15RMB/pc, and the more the quantity, the cheaper it is.
In addition, screen printing will incur a screen printing plate fee, which is usually 200RMB.
The factory usually does not charge the customer specifically for the cost, but will average this ratio into the unit price of the product.
Mold logo
Most brands will choose a mold logo with a bumpy feel.
The mold logo will not fall off, and it looks more advanced.
But the mold logo requires mold, so there will be a mold fee, which is about $500.
And you must ensure that there are enough orders, otherwise the factory is not happy to open the mold for you.
Custom data cable color
Suppliers can make the data cable any color you want.
But they will have a minimum order quantity for this. Usually, they can provide color customization only when your order quantity exceeds 3000 pieces.
Custom data cable packaging
There are a variety of packaging options for the data cable for your choice.
The cheapest packaging method is plastic bags, but this packaging method is not beautiful, so few people use it.
The most common packaging methods for data cables are color boxes, PVC boxes, pdq and blister card packaging.
The minimum order quantity for custom packaging is usually 1000-3000 pieces.
Custom data cable appearance
The most common way to customize the appearance is to customize this cartoon pattern.
This customized solution is suitable for interface protection shells made of PVC and silicone.
For this customized solution, the supplier usually requires a minimum order quantity of 1,000 pieces.
Details that Need to be Paid Attention to in Data Cable Negotiation
In addition to the quantity, packaging requirements, MOQ, trade terms, delivery time, customization requirements, and payment terms that we know about the order details.
The following matters need special attention when negotiating with the supplier about the details of the data line;
Data cable length
The length of the data cable is one of the factors that affect the price. The most commonly used data lines are 1m and 1.5m.
The longer the data cable, the slower the charging speed.
The current of the charging cable
The current is a detail that must be confirmed before placing an order.
Generally, the smaller the current, the cheaper the price. At present, the most common data cable on the market is 2Mah.
If you do not understand these, the supplier may send you the data cable with the smallest current to reduce production costs.
The quality of copper wire
The wire in the data cable is generally made of copper wire.
The service life of a data cable largely depends on the quality of its copper wire.
In order to reduce manufacturing costs, some data cable manufacturers use impurity-containing copper wires, such as copper-clad steel and copper-clad aluminum, which is to coat a layer of copper on the surface of steel or aluminum. Such a core has poor conductivity and a short service life.
The data cable produced with this kind of copper wire may have functional problems after users use it for a month or two.
A good quality data cable will use 100% pure copper. Pure copper has very good electrical conductivity, ductility and soft touch.
Number and diameter of copper wire
The number and diameter of copper wires will directly affect the load capacity of a data line.
Commonly used copper wire diameters are 0.08mm, 0.12mm, 0.16mm.
For example, the copper wire configuration of the ordinary 2Mah data cable is generally 100 0.08mm charging copper wires + 24 0.08 data copper wires, and the copper wire configuration of the 3Mah data cable is generally 80 0.12mm charging copper wires + 14 0.12 data copper wires .
The thicker the copper wire, the higher the price.
The more copper wire, the higher the price.
Data cable certification
If you need to purchase an MFI-certified data cable, you must find a factory with Apple’s MFI certification for production. Unqualified factories cannot produce MFI data cables.
The price of MFI-certified data cables is 10 times higher than that of ordinary data cables.
How to tell the quality of a charging cable during the quality inspection?
Visual inspection
There is no air bubbles, shrinkage, burrs, scratches, smuggling, and dirt on the whole. The wire and the joint are well joined together, and the joint is ≤0.5mm, and there should be no loosening or cracking. .
Wire length
Use a ruler to measure whether the length of the data line is consistent with the purchase contract.
Wire quality and quantity
Check the composition of the internal wires of the data cable.
The general data cable has 4 built-in wires. If the plug is USB3.0 or higher, it contains more wires.
The wire is generally made of copper wire. The quality of the copper wire will affect the service life of the data cable.
Therefore, it is necessary to cut the data cable to check the quality of the copper wire during quality inspection.
In addition to the wires inside the Apple data cable, there is also an aluminum foil shielding layer and a metal braided mesh.
Such a data line will be thicker than an ordinary data line, and the larger the amount of current it can carry, the faster the charging.
So usually the thicker the diameter of the wire, the more expensive.
Data cable model
Whether the sticker and plug orientation mark on the data cable are the same as agreed.
Package of the charging cable
Whether it is consistent with the order contract.
Charging cable function test
Load meter test
Check whether the current and voltage of the data cable are standard.
Use test
Apple data cable has a built-in chip, so you need to use a mobile phone to test whether there will be a pop-up window when charging, and you also need to connect a computer to the mobile phone to test whether the data transmission is normal.
