Question about USB cables

[ajnevares1]

Good Morning Everyone!

I have two USB cables that I use for my Rezound, one is the cable that came with the phone and the other is a standard USB cable I picked up at an ATT store for the company blackberry (sorry, I was in a pinch )

I since got rid of the blackberry and kept the USB cable and noticed the USB cable I purchased from the ATT store charges my phone MUCH faster than the Rezound USB cable it came with when hooked up to a computer. So I used both for the wall charger and same thing, the ATT cable charged it faster.

Am I dealing with a bad Rezound cable or could it be the cable I picked up at the ATT store is just better? I tossed the box the standard cable came in so I have no idea how to find out what kind of cable this is. Would love to find out so I can get more and use the Rezound cable just for data transfer. Is there a way to find out what kind of cable I have? Is it safe to say some USB cable perform better than others? It's an area I am unfamiliar with.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[demmo86rt · Accepted solution]

I'm not real sure about differences in USB cables, but I'm sure some are better than others.  It may use a larger gauge wire, giving less resistance and, for lack of a better term, allow more power to reach the phone.  You may be able to check the data transfer rate as well and see if the AT&T cable performs better in that area too.  I also believe there has been some advancements in USB tech, but I thought that was only in the ports, allowing them to charge faster, but there may have been some changes to cables as well.  Or, it may simply have something to do with the fact that the Rezound cable is also designed for HDMI signals (through an adapter).  I know this wasn't much of an answer, per se, but hopefully it leads in that direction.

[Tidbits]

There's actually two types. Most today are 5 pin. If you use an older version you may be using a 4pin.

[Tidbits]

Oh there is also a difference within the wires. Some would work better than others. Those cheaper ones tend to use cheap shielding and cheap copper wire. Though sometimes the name brand would use slightly better but get the same results of the cheaper one.

[ajnevares1]

Appreciate the feedback guys! I checked both and each appear to be 4 pin but I did notice the ATT cable has a symbol of a battery on it, guessing it indicates the cable is dedicated to charging only? I think you're right and it could be the designated HDMI signal/build that makes the charging slower compared to, I assume a cable only intended for charging.

Very helpful Tidbits and demmo86rt, thanks again!

[demmo86rt]

You may want to check out this thread as well.  https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/770072