Apple’s charger is expensive and not worth it. They don’t even use good quality Japanese capacitors but the Chinese ones.
Let's see the capacitors in Apple generic 20w USB-C charger.
I spot one
Nichicon top of the line capacitor, other one is from
Nippon Chemical, and there is third who's brand I couldn't find out.
Let's see what Samsung is using in their generic 25w USB-C charger.
I spot three
CapXon capacitors.
Let's see these brands country of origin, where they are manufactured we can't tell, I suspect they are being manufactured in China, if not then the next best guess is company's own country of origin.
Apple :-
1. Nichicon - Japan
2. Nippon Chemical - Japan
Samsung:-
1. CapXon - Taiwan
From my experience,
Nichicon is top of the line brand in capacitor world.
Nippon Chemical is not too far behind as well.
Let's do a casual search on google, "
List top 15 best capacitor brands in the world", what do we get?
Here's a list of 15 well-regarded capacitor brands, known for their quality and reliability, including both electrolytic and other types: KEMET, Vishay, TDK, Murata, Rubycon, Nichicon, Panasonic, CDE, Elna, JEC, SamYoung, NCC, WIMA, KOA, and Kyocera.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
- KEMET: A major player in the capacitor industry, known for its wide range of products, including ceramic, film, and electrolytic capacitors.
- Vishay Intertechnology: A global manufacturer of electronic components, including capacitors, resistors, and semiconductors.
- TDK: A Japanese company specializing in electronic components, with a strong presence in the capacitor market, particularly for ceramic and film capacitors.
- Murata Manufacturing: Another Japanese company, known for its high-quality ceramic capacitors and other electronic components.
- Rubycon: A Japanese manufacturer specializing in aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
- Nichicon: A Japanese company that is a leading manufacturer of aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
- Panasonic: A well-known electronics brand that also manufactures a wide range of capacitors, including aluminum electrolytic and ceramic capacitors.
- CDE (Cornell Dubilier): A US-based company known for its high-quality capacitors, particularly aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors.
- Elna: A Japanese company known for its high-quality aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
- JEC: A manufacturer of aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
- SamYoung: A manufacturer of aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
- NCC (Nippon Chemi-Con): A Japanese manufacturer known for its aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
- WIMA: A German company known for its film capacitors.
- KOA: A Japanese company known for its resistors and capacitors.
- Kyocera: A Japanese company known for its ceramic capacitors.
Well I do see
Nichicon &
Nippon Chemi-Con in the list.
And don't see any brand named
CapXon in list.
Let's do a casual google search "
is CapXon better than nichicon?", what do we get?
Since you mention the use of the use
AiSHi brand capacitor in the more Apple high wattage chargers, I haven't looked in depth, but I suspect these are support circuitry capacitors apart from the critical ones, that brand is also not in the top 15 brands, so you are correct their country of origin is China and manufacturing might be too, but are you sure all of the capacitors on the board are of `
AiSHi` brand?
I am already so far down the rabbit whole for this, I just asked chatgpt for the comparison between
AiSHi and
CapXon, because both brands are not as popular. Bear in mind so far the data we have looked, samsung is using `
CapXon` everywhere on the board on that 25W charger.
This is what comes out.
Both AiSHi and CapXon are well-known manufacturers of aluminum electrolytic capacitors, often found in budget to mid-tier electronic applications. Here's how they compare:
1. Quality & Reliability
- AiSHi: Considered a mid-tier brand with a reputation for reasonable quality. Their capacitors are often used in industrial applications, power supplies, and lighting.
- CapXon: Has a mixed reputation. While they are widely used in consumer electronics, they have been associated with premature failures, especially in power supplies.
2. Longevity & Performance
- AiSHi: Tends to have a better lifespan and reliability, especially in high-temperature applications.
- CapXon: Often criticized for lower endurance and higher failure rates in long-term use.
3. Use Cases
- AiSHi: Found in industrial and high-power applications, sometimes used in high-end power supplies.
- CapXon: Mostly found in budget power supplies, LED drivers, and consumer electronics.
4. Industry Reputation
- AiSHi: Generally viewed as a better alternative to CapXon for applications requiring durability.
- CapXon: Has a history of failures in cheap power supplies and has been blacklisted by some engineers.
Verdict
If you are choosing between the two, AiSHi is generally the better choice in terms of reliability and longevity. If longevity and stability matter for your project, consider better brands like Nichicon, Rubycon, Panasonic, or United Chemi-Con, especially for critical applications.
The largest dataset in the world still prefers "
AiSHi` over `
CapXon` based on information it is exposed to so far.