Amazon has been ruthlessly taking down popular accessory brands from its website, following some questionable review practices. Many of these brands are responsible for some of the best USB-C cables or the best battery packs available to keep your phone juiced. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped Amazon from removing their products from its store as part of a major crackdown of companies not following its policies.
That said, we've divided to make things a bit easy for you by listing which brands are no longer available on Amazon and which brands would make great alternatives.
Why is Amazon removing accessory brands?
The recent removal of popular accessory brands seemed to originate with a security report from SafetyDetectives that discovered a fake review scam from companies like MPow and AUKEY. These companies would provide customers with incentives like gift cards after posting a 5-star review of their product. Soon after, an article by a WSJ journalist highlighted how she was presented with a similar offer from another company, and Amazon acted swiftly, removing their products just a day later.
Since then, Amazon has been seen removing more brands from its site.
The company gave a statement on how it takes the integrity of its website very seriously. "To help earn the trust of customers, we devote significant resources to preventing fake or incentivized reviews from appearing in our store." That said, companies that have been removed from the site can appeal the decision, granted they agree to follow Amazon's policy.
These are the banned accessory brands:
So far, these are the companies that have been banned from the Amazon store. The list represents the popular accessory brands that we've noticed, and while their products are no longer on the Amazon store, they can still be found on their respective online stores. It should be worth noting that it's possible that these aren't the only companies partaking in questionable review practices.
- AUKEY
- Mpow
- RAVPower
- Vava
- Teotronics
- Choetech
Here are some of the best alternatives:
Despite the scandal, these companies still make great products. However, Amazon is the first point of sale for many consumers, thanks in part to the reviews and perks like fast shipping. That said, there are still plenty of great accessory companies for anyone looking.
Anker
Anker is a great choice no matter what kind of accessory you're looking for. The company also happens to make some of the best wireless chargers like the Anker PowerWave Alloy, as well as the best GaN chargers, which are small but powerful enough to power not only your smartphone but also a laptop.
Belkin
Belkin is a popular brand, especially in U.S. carrier stores. They make plenty of charging adapters and wireless chargers, often cheaper than the competition but still high-quality.
Mophie
Mophie is another popular brand and is often synonymous with portable chargers. The products may be on the pricier side, but they're always top-notch and definitely worth every penny.
iOttie
iOttie may not be quite as known as the aforementioned brands, but the company makes great car mounts and chargers with fantastic designs, including the best Google Pixel 5 wireless charger.
Zendure
If you want the ultimate charging speeds from your portable charger, Zendure has you covered. This brand offers some of the fastest charging speeds and some of the best 100W USB-C chargers.
Native Union
Native Union focuses largely on Apple products, but they offer wireless chargers and some of the best 3-in-1 USB cables that anyone can use. They also look great, which is a plus.
Banned but still worth a look
Many of these brands have understandably lost a bit of consumer trust following their removal from the Amazon store. In a poll that Android Central conducted, more than half of those surveyed said they wouldn't want to continue supporting or encouraging these brands. However, it's worth pointing out that even though these brands were banned from the Amazon store, they still make great products that are worth checking out. Their crime isn't that they make bad accessories, but that they disobeyed Amazon's store policy by incentivizing inflated reviews.
AUKEY and RAVPower are among the best of the banned accessory brands and are definitely worth checking out. Fortunately, they still manage their own online stores, so finding their products won't be too difficult.
AUKEY Omnia Duo 65W Dual-Port PD Charger
The AUKEY Omnia Duo 65W Dual-Port PD Charger boasts a whopping 65W charging speed, which only reduces to 45W when using both USB-C ports, making it plenty fast for everyday use. And thanks to GaN, it remains small and compact.
RAVPower 90W 2-Port PD Power Bank
This uniquely designed power bank may not be cheap, but it definitely packs a punch. It comes with an impressive ~90W charging speed and 30,000mAh battery capacity, making it a good choice when you need to top up your laptop.
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