The latest quality inspection in Zhejiang revealed that more than half of the power adapters failed to meet standards

With smartphones and tablets becoming widespread in households, the demand for power adapters needed by various electronic devices has surged. Power adapters are not disposable products, making their quality extremely crucial. However, in the latest testing of power adapters and USB chargers conducted by the Zhejiang Institute of Electronic Information Product Inspection, 20 out of 39 batches of samples failed to meet the standards, resulting in an overall failure rate of 51.3%.

Power adapters are power conversion devices for small portable electronic devices and electronic appliances. They generally consist of a casing, a power transformer, and a rectifier circuit. According to their output type, they can be classified as AC output or DC output; according to connection methods, they can be wall-plug types or desktop types.

The latest batch testing of power adapters and USB chargers purchased by the provincial Institute of Electronic Information Product Inspection all involved 3C-certified products, which should comply with relevant national standards. However, market traceability inspections have revealed unsatisfactory results in both safety and energy efficiency items:

First, many products lack the required markings and usage instructions, which can easily cause consumer misunderstandings and lead to unnecessary electrical safety accidents during actual use.

Second, some products lack the mandatory certification mark. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) explicitly requires that power adapters sold domestically must bear the China Compulsory Certification (3C) mark. Products without 3C certification pose risks of electrical safety accidents, endangering personal and property safety.

Third, critical parts of some power adapters have insufficient safety clearances, which easily causes electrical safety accidents similar to those arising from insulation failures. Additionally, failure in dielectric strength (withstand voltage) tests can lead to electric shock hazards for consumers, while non-compliance with energy efficiency limits results in higher electricity costs.

Experts from the provincial Institute of Electronic Information Product Inspection revealed that since July 2017, all power adapters without 3C certification have been removed from online platforms such as Taobao and Tmall. However, some unscrupulous sellers still use fraudulent means to promote substandard products to consumers.

High-quality power adapters remain the first choice for consumers. In a random interview with several post-90s consumers, most stated they typically select products with 3C certification when purchasing adapters. Sometimes, they purchase through micro-business agents but generally avoid buying adapters of unknown origin.

However, there is an information asymmetry between sellers and consumers. Consumers generally cannot distinguish counterfeit power adapters, and some are tempted by low prices or promotional tactics into buying substandard adapters. To protect consumer rights, government regulatory authorities usually conduct unified quality spot checks on power adapters annually. These spot checks focus on matching electrical parameters such as voltage, current, power, and electromagnetic interference during use.

In two batches of spot checks conducted before the end of June this year, experts from the provincial inspection institute told reporters that the failure rate in purchased samples was significantly higher than that in random samples, mainly due to dielectric strength issues. This leaves a hidden danger of electric leakage injuries, especially since consumers tend to use their devices while charging, particularly smartphones, tablets, and laptops.