Gt-coupe is a thick braided cable - it feels and looks well made. It is 40 inches long and easily plugged into a phone with a silicone skin on. My tests show that it a USB 3.1 compliant cable. As a fully complaint cable Gt-coupe cable delivers a maximum 1.5A. This also means that it is not capable of supporting rapid charging for Nexus 6p.
What is 3.1 compliant cable? USB 3.1 spec specifies that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current should be set at 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. Benson Leung has a series of excellent reviews of Type C cables. Benson works for Google's Pixel group and has pointed out that many type-C cables violate the USB 3.1 specification that states that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current has been set incorrectly at 10K which advertises 3A of current rather than the correct value of 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. This cable follows the spec.
Can this cable charge up Nexus 6p while the phone is being used for navigation? Yes! At the start of the trip using Google maps to navigate the battery was at 39%, after one hour of navigation the phone was at 66%. Not only did it keep up with Google maps but it upcharged the phone at a very decent rate.
Below are the details of the tests with Gt-coupe cable. For comparison I also did the tests with a non-compliant cable. A non-compliant cables may not safe to use with all devices (such as the Chromebook Pixel and the Apple Macbook that draw more current than a phone). However with a QUALITY self-limiting charger that is rated for higher current Nexus 6p will safely charge faster with a non-USB 3.1 compliant cable.
All test were done keeping all conditions the same: same level of charge for the phone, same apps running, keeping the screen on so I can see the results.
Using a car charger on a port rated 2.5A
Nexus 6p battery is at 27%-28%, at this level it will use rapid charging if possible (i.e. up to 2.5A)
** Gt-coupe Type C to Type A cable (3.1 compliant) ------- 1410 mA (not rapid charging)
** Another Type C to Type A cable (non 3.1 compliant) -- 2570 mA (rapid charging)
Attached are images from my tests that show the results with both cables.
I received this cable from Gt-coupe for testing and review. Bottom line: Gt-coupe cable is USB 3.1 compliant and behaves the same as a USB 3.1 compliant cable provided by Google in Nexus 6p package.
You can find "Gt-coupe USB Type C Cable" on Amazon via this link
Ali Julia review ★★★★★
