system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do some charging cords claim faster charge times?
gpt
The original USB spec only allows 0.5 Amps of power at 5 volts. That's not a lot for today's power-hungry phones.

The latest USB spec allows for up to 3 Amps, so a device could charge up to 6x faster.

In order to take advantage of the latest standards and get all of those juicy 3 Amps to your phone, you need (1) a charger that supports the latest standards and (2) a cable that supports the latest standards, and (3) a device that wants more than 0.5 A.

Without all three of those, it will fall back to less power, because it doesn't want to accidentally deliver too much power and fry your device! It's safe to plug an older device into a newer charger with a newer cable.

So, compliant charging cables are faster than older standard USB cables. But USB 3.0 cables from any brand will be just as fast as from any other brand.