Power Banks and Phone Cables Not Made in China

Power Banks and Phone Cables Not Made in China

Updated 9/15/22

How to shop in an impossible category

For those of us consumers who are committed to weaning ourselves off of reliance to communist China, one of the most frustrating things is a category like this one: cables and power banks to extend battery life for smartphones. It’s something we all use, something we all need, and something that is almost completely dominated by China manufacturing.

Some may argue that this is just how the free market works. A brand goes to multiple subcontractors to find the lowest bid to produce a product, and if a manufacturer in China can beat the lowest bid of one in the United States, what’s wrong with the company in China winning the bid? Everyone’s happy, right? Consumers get cheap products, brands get higher profit margins, and even the losing manufacturer can use this as a way to make themselves more efficient so they can win the next round.

The problem is, free markets only work when all players adhere to what Adam Smith called “moral sentiments”, or a basic set of natural morals. “Morals” is not the first word that comes to mind when you think about the Chinese Communist Party. Just as 80-100 million people who were murdered by them, and countless more who have been forced into slave labor, imprisoned, surveilled, and “re-educated”.

The real fools in this story are the American executives and politicians who deliberately looked the other way at questions or morality if it meant getting fabulously rich. When America granted Most Favored Nation status to China, China promised to reform. Did they? Ask yourself this. Who is the #1 polluter on earth, who has shut down civil liberties in Hong Kong, who is systematically wiping out an entire culture or Uyghurs, and who is threatening the free nation of Taiwan? As long as American corporations see their next quarter earnings rise, their stock options soar, and the politicians they bribe through lobbying fat and happy, all you hear is complete silence.

And this corruption ends up affecting the products that come out of China. In order to become the lowest bidder, China manufacturers are encouraged to cut every corner they can in abusing their labor force, exploiting their natural resources, and cheating on inspections. Every China company has a member of the CCP watching their every move. As long as the company boosts up the Communist Party, they are rewarded through favorable treatment. But if the company dares to cross the CCP, they are destroyed.

Why To Avoid Anker

Anker is the poster child for a company that crossed the rubicon. While most China-based companies were happy to remain in the background, manufacturing goods for well-known American brands, Anker did something smart. They hired a whole bunch of marketing people and customer service people in America who turned Anker into a powerhouse brand of its own. I had been an Anker customer for years before I realized that they are a 100% China-owned company. In other words, for every Anker battery, cable, or accessory you buy, 40-50% of the money you pay goes straight to the coffers of the Chinese Communist Party.

And it took me years of being an Anker customer before I realized that despite the pretty outside, their products are crap. I owned an Anker PowerCore 26800 that I used everywhere, until the USB-C port completely snapped off one day. I called Anker’s customer service and they sent me a new one. But just recently that stopped taking a charge (and of course, I can’t get another replacement). And it’s no different with cables: I’ve bought at least 10 Anker LIghtning and USB-C cables, and every last one of them ends up fraying or not working.

Of course, Apple cables–also made in China–are even worse. Since they stopped packing cables with iPhones, you need to buy one for $19 from Apple, and it’s not a question of whether it will eventually fray, but when.

And sadly, when you search on Amazon for alternatives you’ll find hundreds of no-name choices, all of them made in China, all of them destined for the landfill. And don’t get me started on Amazon Basics. By putting its brand name on China-manufactured cables, Amazon is grabbing what’s left of the market all for them.

So are there even any power banks or cables not made in China?

Sadly, not many. Which is why it is CRITICAL that everyone who feels this is important to them SUPPORT these few remaining companies that have refused to bow a knee to China. The more of us who will buy from them, the more it will send a message to them and to Amazon that yes, we care where our products are made and where our dollars are going. But I have a bad feeling that these companies are hanging by a thread as the sheer volume of business that Amazon is throwing at China is helping China monopolize supply chains, develop raw materials, and create efficiencies of scale that are impossible to compete against.

Here are the few options I’ve found.

Power Banks

I spent hours searching for power banks not made in China, and all my searching came down to two options: Mediasonic and Samsung. I ended up purchasing a Mediasonic for myself.

Mediasonic 7,800 mAh ProBox Power Bank

9/15/22 Update – It looks like this product has completely disappeared from Walmart’s site, which is a bad sign that Walmart has decided to stop merchandising this product so they can double down on cheap China brands–ironically at much higher price points. The good news is that Mediasonic is still selling this on their official eBay store, where the power banks are still very much available as of this writing, at the same low price point and even in different colors (brown, red, silver, white). Here’s a link to the old Walmart page, in case they ever decide to bring it back in stock.

The Mediasonic ProBox Power Bank is an example of a product that I didn’t think could exist anymore. It’s made in Taiwan, using Japan-made Sanyo battery cells inside.

Here’s what’s sad. You can’t find this on Amazon at all. My guess is that Mediasonic just gave up among the literally hundreds of competitors made in China that Amazon forces users to see over product like this. But it is available on eBay.com and as a bonus its price is competitive and affordable at under $20, and it ships directly from the manufacturer, meaning you’ll avoid counterfeits that litter Amazon.

I bought one for myself and immediately upon opening I could see the quality of the manufacturing. It’s beautiful, solid, and functional. With my Anker unit, I was constantly worried that the USB ports would snap off (and as I said before, that’s happened to be before). Just looking at this unit, I can tell that I can plug a USB-A plug into either of the ports (one is 1.2A and the other 2.1A), as well as the micro-USB charging port, and it’ll remain solid. The unit is comfortable to hold, the LED on the unit is slick, giving me a “Kit on Knight Rider” sort of vibe, and the capacity easily lets me charge my phone fully twice (or my wife’s and my phone simultaneously). And I have the same confidence in the batteries within as my Japanese-made rechargeable AA batteries (many of which I purchased years ago but which still hold a full charge).

Samsung 10,000 and 20,000 mAh Battery Packs

I had a really nice chat with a representative from Samsung. They were transparent with me in saying that they currently manufacture their mobile phones and accessories out of six countries: Vietnam, China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, and South Korea. But he did say that products destined for the USA are made in South Korea. This is great, but it also tells me that you need to be very careful. It’s best to buy directly at a brick and mortar store where you can read the country of origin information on the box; otherwise, if you’re going to order online, make sure you get confirmation in writing that you will not be getting a China-made product.

Here are the best power banks from Samsung:

20,000 mAh Battery Pack – Seems that Samsung is having a hard time keeping this in stock, but keep trying. The 20,000 mAh Battery Pack gives you a ton of capacity that’ll power multiple charges without recharging the battery. Obviously it works best with Samsung phones that support Super Fast Charging, but it can be used to power any phone at a regular charge, including iPhones.

10,000 mAh Wireless Battery Pack – This is a 10,000 mAh pack, which should get you at least two full charges of a completely drained smartphone. This one has a wireless charger pad on it, meaning you don’t have to bother with cables in you have a Qi-enabled phone, headphones, or accessory. This one also seems to be difficult to get your hands on, but Amazon seems to have some sellers who have it (just be sure you don’t get gouged–the retail price for this should be about $80). There’s also a lower priced model that doesn’t have the fast charging.

Moshi Portable Chargers

Moshi is an up-and-coming company with some products that look impressively designed. You can see their products on their official Web site or on their Amazon storefront. They seem to cater directly to Apple customers, probably not a bad move given that Apple customers will routinely pay a premium for good design.

Porto Q Wireless Portable Charger – Like the Samsung Wireless Battery Pack, this battery pack supports Qi wireless charging, so with a wireless-capable phone you don’t need any wires except to charge the unit. It only has a 5,000 mAh capacity, but that should be more than enough in a pinch to breathe life back into a dead phone for a full charge, with some change left over. This one is clearly marked as made in Taiwan.

Moshi also sells a 5,000 mAh power bank with a Lightning Cable and one with a USB-C Cable. You can tell just by the pictures at the craftsmanship and quality of construction.

Cables

Javex USB and Lightning Cables

Javex has become my favorite smartphone cable company. They’re based out of Taiwan, and from what I can tell all their products are still made in Taiwan. Admittedly, it makes me nervous that their Amazon product pages don’t explicitly state this (which always gives them wiggle room to eventually move manufacturing to China), but let’s hope that the 2018 Tariffs and the fact that Xi has missiles aimed at them helps them not repeat the same mistake that so many other Taiwanese companies have made.

As of my most recent purchase with them in October 2022, their packaging clearly states that they are based in Taiwan and that their manufacturing is done in Taiwan.

Here are my favorites:

USB-A to USB-C cable – 1 meter (3.3 feet)

USB-A to USB-C cable – 3 meter (10 feet)

USB-A to MicroUSB with Lightning Adapter – 1 meter (3.3 feet)

USB-A to USB-C cables with KEVLAR reinforcement

USB-A to Lightning cable – 1 meter (3.3 feet)

USB-C to USB-C cable – 1.8 meter (6 feet)

As you look through the products, read the descriptions of how the cables (particularly the ones with KEVLAR) are made to be super-strong, and how they’re certified to handle the latest capacity requirements. If you offered me an Apple cable, an Anker cable, or a Javex cable, I would choose the Javex in a heartbeat.

But you can see how the deck is stacked. When I search for “Javex” on Amazon and then sort by “Average Customer Review”, Anker with its 20,000 reviews shows up first, and Javex with under 100 reviews is practically invisible, despite being the far superior cable.

Moshi Lightning Cables

We already discussed Moshi above, but it turns out they make cables as well. These are solid cables that will certainly outlast anything you buy from Apple and their China factory workers. If you’re going to pay for a cable, it doesn’t take a Genius to figure out whether to buy an Apple branded product that’ll last until one week after the warranty expires or a product like this which will last for decades.

USB-C to Lightning cable – 1.2 meter (4 feet)

USA-A to Lightning cable – 1.2 meter (4 feet)

Belkin USB and Lightning Cables

I was kind of shocked to see Belkin making things other than in China, but after once being the kind of cables and then having its lunch handed to it by Anker, it looks like the Belkin BoostCharge is a step in the right direction. I’m guessing the 2018 tariffs played a part as well–while Anker was forced to eat the cost of the tariffs since as a China-owned company they couldn’t move manufacturing out of China, it looks like Belkin was able to find a Vietnam-based supplier. And while Apple and Anker play the forced obsolescence game, Belkin looks like it’s also getting into the “let’s engineer a cable that lasts” business.

USB-C to Lightning cable – various sizes

USB-A to USB-C / MicroUSB / Lightning – This is a nifty cable that’s the Swiss Army Knife of cables. Great for households that use both Apple and Android devices, and have accessories that need MicroUSB charging.

Mercedes Benz USB Cables

This is one I didn’t have on my Bingo card. Someone on Reddit mentioned that Mercedes Benz sells USB cables that reportedly are made in the Czech Republic. If you’re a Mercedes owner you can visit your dealer to buy one, and as you might expect there’s a big resale market on eBay (as with all eBay purchases, research your seller and beware of counterfeits).

Best Buy USB Cables

Another Redditor mentioned that Best Buy Essentials brand cables are now made in Vietnam, not China. This is one that you’re going to want to visit a Best Buy store in person to research, but it’s certainly good news if it’s true; it means that China’s grip on cheap manufacturing is getting looser (or that China companies are outsourcing to Vietnam to avoid tariffs, but we’ll save that discussion for another time).

40 Comments

  1. Super! I immediately ordered some cables.
    I also have a few Belkin wireless chargers, they are also made in Vietnam.

    As for the Samsung power banks, are you sure the ones in the USA come from South Korea? All the pictures I can find of packaging and bottoms of the chargers show “made in China”.

    The other two options are unfortunately not available in Europe. The Mediasonic really appealed to me but is not available here.

  2. I would like to THANK YOU for your efforts. I also agree with everything you said above. Thanks to you I was actually able to finally identify and purchase an Air Fryer, believe it or not, NOT made in China. I just purchased the Dash Tasti-Crisp 6 qt Family Size Air Fryer. Both Williams-Sonoma and Amazon list the country of origin as Indonesia. We shall see. Since it is a birthday present for my wife, I sure hope that info is correct. It would be tough to send it back, especially if she sees the box on the front porch. Incidentally, with not insignificant effort, I have been able to in the last few days purchase a Tekton brand 1/4″ Torque Wrench, an ABN brand valve spring compressor, and an OTC brand pulley holder wrench, all made in Taiwan. None of these tools are made in the USA anymore. It is also very hard to find tools and parts not made in Red China.

  3. Spigen is a South Korean company with headquarters in Irvine, California and Seoul, South Korea that makes a wide array of chargers, cables, powerbanks, cases, etc.

    1. Thanks for the report!

      It looks like Spigen makes its phone cases in South Korea, but unfortunately its cables appear to be made in China.

  4. Belkin is a subsidiary of Foxconn which is technically based in Taiwan, but does most of its manufacturing in China, unfortunately.

  5. Thank you for this article. I just bought 2 of the Mediasonic battery packs and agree the quality is very nice for the price. Will spread the news on these so they don’t end up disappearing from the marketplace altogether.

  6. I am enormously grateful for this site that I only recently came across! Thanks for all your efforts.

    However, you know, people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

    You stated (or asked rather) “Who is the #1 polluter on earth”, hinting at China. The US and China rank at the very top – by far – of almost every statistic listing the biggest polluters. It depends who and how you ask but the US is usually among the top 3.

    Source 1: https://graphics.reuters.com/CLIMATE-UN/EMISSIONS/jnvwexaryvw/
    Source 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions

    1. Thank you for reading, and for your thoughtful comment.

      I definitely invite you to read through the rest of this blog–you’ll see that I do not hold corporate America nor American politicians blameless. To the contrary, I put more blame on them than on China.

      Think about it. Western countries have put stringent environmental laws in place, so that manufacturers in Western countries cannot compete with countries that have no laws (or which have laws but governments intentionally do not enforce them). While I don’t have statistics handy, I would guess that the majority of emissions from China are in service of US consumers demanding cheap prices from US brands who cannot source locally because US manufacturers have to follow the law.

      Where the CCP was brilliant was helping its manufacturers become the “lowest bidder” on virtually every manufacturing contract out there. By 2007, being the “lowest bidder” meant cheating on testing regardless of the impact on children and pets. After 2007, the cheating continues, it’s just much better hidden.

      As US infrastructure deteriorates from years of not being used, China is setting itself up to manufacture for the world. US corporations get cheap suppliers, US politicians get kickbacks, US consumers get cheap products, the CCP cements its power, and China manufacturing establishes monopolistic control over the means of production. But the US shares the same earth and the same atmosphere with China.

      The fact that the various “climate accords” do not impose the same restrictions on China as they do on Western countries tells you all you need to know about how much of these laws are based on actually protecting the planet, and how much are utterly corrupted by money and power.

  7. The javex cables are superbly made. Thank you. I noticed there was nothing on the cable or the box (usb a to c) that indicated it was made in taiwan. Fingers crossed they are.

    1. Thanks for sharing, J! I’m glad you’re enjoying your Javex cables. I don’t buy from anyone else anymore, especially not from Anker.

      I bought some USB-C to USB-C cables, and “ASSEMBLED IN TAIWAN” was very clearly written on one of the stickers on the outer box (I updated the blog post to show what to look for). It’s not easy to spot, as there are multiple labels, but it should be there. But as long as you bought it from JAVEX’s Amazon store directly you should be good!

      It never ceases to perplex me why companies like Javex seem to hide their country of origin on their Amazon product listings when there are thousands upon thousands of us who would buy them (and pay for for them) in a heartbeat.

    1. Correction – Lindy cables are German based, and I think they are made there.

      Cable Matters cables are designed and engineered in Massachussetts.

  8. Hi there. I found a Swiss company called Skross who manufacture multi USB chargers in their own factory in Thailand

    1. Thanks for the report, Sian! I did a little research and it looks like Skross makes its travel adapters in Thailand, but unfortunately it still makes its cables in China.

  9. Thank you, your article is very helpful and inspiring. Usually before I bought something on Amazon I checked whether is it sold from China. Recently, I was trying to find a NMIC power bank on Amazon and as you mentioned it was very difficult, I nearly gave up but then I saw this article, thank you for the information.

  10. I don’t purchase products from countries who support Russia in any way. Disappointed to find out that Vietnam where a Belkin 3 in 1 USB Cable is now made has abstained from voting on a resolution calling for Russia to leave Ukraine, I see this as an endorsement of Russian aggression by Vietnam and I cannot support that. So, this FYI on the Belkin product.

  11. Great job. Definitely with you on this 👋👍.
    Any review of the big powerbanks? The solar chargers and the like for camping or off grid working?

  12. Thank you for doing the research, this kind of information isn’t easy to find.

    I got the Mediasonic power bank, and it really is made in Taiwan. The outdated specs and the fact that it’s not listed on the Mediasonic website make me think that it’s probably discontinued, which is a shame.

    I hope that as more and more companies start to move production out of China, we’ll see more brands for power banks and have options with USB-C ports, and USB PD charging.

  13. Vaster is a US company with their factory in Taiwan. I’ve been buying their USB A to Lightning cables for a while.
    Vaster_SuperE Cable_ Lightning to USB A Cable – MFi Certified (Smartphone) Charger – White, 1 Meter https://amzn.to/3XDRJo1

    1. Thanks for reporting this! It still astounds me that companies like this do not shout from the rooftops that they are US-based and that their manufacturing is in Taiwan. There are many of us who would gladly pay extra for high quality and to support freedom, but if you hadn’t posted this I would never have known from their Amazon listings.

      Here’s their main Web site, where they do point out cables that are made in the USA and in Taiwan. I hope everyone, especially those with government or corporate contracts, makes use of them. Thanks again for mentioning them!

      https://www.vastercable.com/index.php

        1. Ugh, their Web site is completely down. I hope it’s just a glitch and not something permanent.

          It looks like Vaster Cables are still being sold on Amazon through its distributor, Super E Cables. You can try purchasing through them.

          https://amzn.to/3QoLe6f

    1. Wow, that’s a surprise, thanks for the report. I’m not quite at the point of being able to trust Amazon Basics completely, but it is a good sign that the stranglehold that China manufacturing had may be buckling.

  14. I would dearly like to find a powerbank charger available in the UK that is not made/manufactured in China.
    Can anyone help?

    1. I wrote this in 2022, but as of the time of this comment it looks like Samsung is making more of their lower end stuff in China nowadays, even as they leave China for the higher-end stuff.

      My best advice is to go to a brick-and-mortar store and check the box.

  15. Steve – kudos and genuine thanks for setting this website up! I was thinking of doing the same but you’ve done a far greater job than I could ever do. Incredible job.

    Would just like to share my experiences from a UK perspective as it’s proven so difficult to find a power bank NOT made in China. Popular brands available here include:
    – JUICE
    – BELKIN
    – SAMSUNG
    Despite them all being non-Chinese companies, all confirmed as Made in China.

    Same goes for SPIGEN (also mentioned above).
    Found an ENERGIZER power bank on Argos website stating Made in Taiwan, but after picking one up, found it was (you guessed it) Made in China.
    Contacted DURACELL as they have a power bank 10000mAh on Amazon => no response.
    Found what I thought was a German power bank called VARTA on the Thomann.de website but also confirmed Made in China.

    Finally contacted MEDIASONIC as couldn’t find there products anywhere for sale in the UK on eBay etc. Despite promising intial correspondence they too have disappeared. Will keep chasing (including other Taiwan suppliers).

    1. Thanks Humble Opinion. I appreciate your kind words, they mean a lot.

      I hear you. Over the summer I went to Taiwan and visited Guanghua Digital Plaza, their big electronics market. I was hoping to load up on cables that were made in Taiwan.

      Dozens and dozens of stores there sold cables and other electronics. My Chinese is terrible, so I asked my wife to ask each store owner if they could show me a Lightning-to-USB cable that was made domestically. One after one, they all told us that they only carry cables made in China now.

      I finally found one store that had a made in Taiwan cable, and the store owner told me that it was the last one; moving forward, that brand only made things out of China.

      I point fingers at China a lot, but ultimately and tragically there’s a lot of fault to go around. American consumers who want cheap things and don’t care how or why they’re cheap. Taiwanese manufacturers who are too lazy to try to reach out to emerging manufacturing markets other than the one that speaks their language (and wants to blow them up). And all of us in the West who decry China’s support of foreign and domestic terror around the world with one hand but early pour money into their coffers with the other.

      I wish you the best in your search, and I definitely welcome you to share your findings here, whether in blog comments, on the forum, or directly to me, and I’ll be thrilled to help spread the word. Thanks!

      1. Awesome to meet a kindred spirit on this, Steve. Agree 100% with what you’ve said and really frustrated at the countless observations I’m making re businesses, customers, even governments etc that seem to often choose the path of least resistance. In any capitalist “democracy”, money and pricing wins and the CCP knows this.

        Ignorance and naivety definitely also playing a major role. Without my own recent experiences with the CCP, I too would probably have wilfully continued buying Made in China products without a decent understanding of where my money is going and how truly evil this regime is.

        Anyway, some Power Bank updates below:
        EINOVA (forgot to mention before) – designed in Italy but manufactured in China
        GOODMANS (sold in B&M Stores) – made in China
        DURACELL – have confirmed power banks manufactured in China & Vietnam (so might give this a try?)
        MEDIASONIC – complete radio silence from them now despite writing to several offical email addresses 🙁

  16. Thank you!
    We are with you!!
    I am searching for a 12V batteri to drive a 24” TV screen for 3 hours. The one I have is made in China….😡
    I need another one – will if course use tve ond I have but I am expansions my animal rights street activism.

    Any suggestions?

  17. If you’re looking for charger, then the Moshi Rewind USB-C GaN Charger (100W) is a new product and made in Taiwan, and you can get it from Amazon. It looks pretty good to me and also comes with a free USB-C cable.

    1. Thank you so much for sharing this, TVN!

      Coincidentally, I just threw away an Apple charger where the cable end was frayed (as happens to ALL of my Apple chargers made in China).

      Moshi looks like a fantastic product—as with so many other companies I WISH they would reveal its country of origin because when they don’t everyone assumes it’s made in China.

      For those who want one, here’s a link to the Amazon page.

      https://amzn.to/3u6hqTC

      For those who don’t know, GaN chargers are made with Gallium nitride (as opposed to silicon) which means they’re faster, smaller, and use less energy.

      We need to get the word out about chargers like this. I would love to try one myself one day–if I do may end up writing a “chargers not made in China” article focused just on this one 🙂

  18. First and foremost your website is AMAZING keep doing what you’re doing!!!

    I’m wondering if you have any recommendations for ethernet – USB-A or ethernet – USB-C cables?

    I’m guessing there’s not as much of a market for these but as a fellow blogger (different space), I know that it never hurts to have a few more affiliate links on a website!

    1. LOL, I hope you’re making more money on your blog than I am on mine—it’s maddening to help sites like Amazon sell tens of thousands of dollars of products, while literally getting pennies from them. But as I’m sure you have, I’ve learned the secret to blogging is to just focus on your passion (which in my case is helping others find NMIC products) and not expecting to make much money from it (which I don’t :P).

      My go-to for cables is Javex. Here’s their Ethernet to USB-C adapter. Click on the link to purchase and I get 3 cents!!! 😉

      https://amzn.to/3HPFRIj

      It’s pricier than others, but as someone who just had YET ANOTHER Anker cable completely fail on me (their “lifetime warranty” is useless, because you can only get a replacement when it breaks the first time, but not the second) I find that one Javex cable literally outlasts 5 Anker cables.

      Good luck!

      1. Glad you’re passionate about this, though I hope you figure out a way to make more money off it too!!

        Thanks for the Javex link. Incidentally my wife was just at Best Buy a few minutes ago, I asked her to take a look. She said the BB Essentials brand ethernet-USB cables were made in China. However, she found another brand called j5create whose ethernet-USB3.0 cable was made in Taiwan.

        They didn’t have any ethernet-USB-C on hand at the store, so we’ll be sure to order from your affiliate link!

  19. I guess there aren’t any solar power banks (for camping, or to use when the power grid goes down for whatever reason) that aren’t made in China, right? I sure haven’t found any and you don’t mention them at all here…
    Thanks for what you do.

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