9 out of 10 people in India want standardised charging cables for mobiles: Report

Nine in 10 consumers in India support the government move to standardise charging cables for smartphones and tablets, as the Centre plans to adopt USB Type-C as the standard charging port for electronic products by March 2025, a report has revealed.

Seven in 10 consumers believe that different chargers for different devices enable companies to sell more accessories, according to the report by online community platform LocalCircles.

Only 6 per cent of consumers said that the current system is fine where different smartphones and tablets have different charging cables regardless of the company.

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), with the objective to reduce the number of chargers per household to minimise the amount of e-waste generated.

The recommendations have been forwarded by the Department of Consumer Affairs to MeitY, which is likely to notify the framework soon, according to reports.

According to the report, 78 per cent of consumers said that all smartphones and tablets should have the same USB charging cable regardless of the company.

The findings indicate that the 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 maximise sales of accessories.

Since the charging cables made by brands are priced high, the majority end up buying generic versions.

— IANS