Poll: Do you pay attention to charging standards when buying a gadget?

It’s been over five years since USB-C first arrived on smartphones, giving us a reversible USB plug and a variety of other benefits. One of these benefits is faster charging, which means you can get topped up in minutes.

So do you look at a gadget’s supported USB-C charging protocols before buying it? Or do you just expect your new phone, tablet, Switch, or earphones to plug and charge? Let us know by taking the poll below.

There are several different USB-C-based charging standards in the tech space right now, such as the more open USB-PD protocol, Qualcomm’s Quick Charge tech, and proprietary standards that only work for specific brands. This all means that compatibility can be a major headache, with some devices refusing to charge via specific chargers. So it seems like a prudent move to check standards and buy products accordingly.

Related: It’s 2021 and USB-C is still a mess

Then again, many gadgets still ship with chargers and cables, taking a lot of the hassle out of charging. A lot of people also have more than one charger in their household, so there’s a good chance of a compatible charger being under your roof.

So let us know whether you take charging standards into account before buying a gadget. You can also leave a comment if you’d like to elaborate on your choice.