Benson Leung is a Google engineer who has been leading the crusade against third-party manufacturers that create USB Type-C accessories that are not up to par with specifications. At best these cables won’t charge your phone as fast as it could be charged, while at worst they could cause damage or even destroy your device.
Leung has reviewed several types of USB-C cables since the release of the Nexus 6P last year and he’s even rooted out some issues with well-known manufacturers. Anker issued a recall of their USC-C cables after Benson determined they were unsafe to use. With the Pixel and Pixel XL on the way, he’s released a spreadsheet to let people know which cables are recommended for use with these devices and which cables you should stay away from.
We’ve ranked them from the three cables Benson recommends no matter what to cables he’s tested that have had no problems. Finally, you’ll find three at the bottom of the list that Benson actively recommends staying away from.
This section of Benson’s recommendations are a little bit more dicey, so I’d use more caution when choosing a charger for your new device. The top recommended charger for the phone is, of course, the one Google sells. However, there are a handful of other chargers that won’t harm your new phone.