I'm thinking of buying some third party accessories for my tablet, but I'm not sure if that is advisable, especially since I'm mostly looking towards buying a charger which worries me because it might damage my tablet's batteries. I'm also worried about using a third party smart cover since those have magnets that wake/sleep the tablet each time you close or open it, and I worry that since they aren't official then it might potentially be damaging since magnets are involved. What do you guys think of third party accessories for your devices, do you trust them or would you only ever buy official ones from the same brand?
You shoud be fine. You might notice that the charger takes a little longer to charge your tablet than the official one, but otherwise there won't be that much of an issue as far as I can tell.
I never bought accessories from a third party but once I accompanied my sister to purchase a universal charger for her laptop as the original one was broken. I never really asked her about it after but I noticed she wasn't using the laptop anymore after a few month and she was already using a brand new.
Most of the chargers are basically the same thing. A few have been tweaked to work better with certain devices. Apple chargers are faster for apple devices apparently and some chargers even have an "apple" setting. Most of the third party chargers provide a little less current than the brand specific ones. This means they will take a little longer but are safer for a wider variety of devices. As far as the smart covers, I would agree that caution should be used with third part devices. At least make sure it claims to be compliant with your device before using it.
I think most are generally safe, but I would advise you to look them up reviews online if you can find any. If you can't find reviews then you may not want to push your luck. I know with iPhone devices third party accessories aren't always supported and it will even display on the screen that it hasn't been tested by Apple. That said, if you're within the room while it's charging and don't leave it plugged in all night then that may be a safer bet. I wouldn't plug it in and leave though.
Third party supplies have been known to damage tablets, phones and/or computers. I personally bought a third party phone charger and the very day I plugged it up to my phone and started charging it, my phone has been messed up since. I've called the phone place and they can't even figure out why my phone is doing what it does and won't hold a charge.
The one that I would be concerned about would be a charger. I would personally only buy a charger by the company that made the tablet. As far as other accessories go, I would think that they should be fine.
I've used 3rd party accessories in the past and I haven't had an issues with them. I think the reason companies which make the accessories don't want us to use cheaper ones is because they'll lose out on our dough. How can they make more money from us unless they use scare tactics? In fact you can get some great, cheap accessories from amazonbasics.
I've bough some cheap Chinese made accessories for my Nintendo Wii and had no problems. The plastic is less shiny and doesn't feel that good in my hand but other than that the parts were durable and well built. And I think that this goes for most third party accessories. The price is lower because the materials are cheaper or some functions are missing, but this doesn't mean they are weak and break fast.
Always look for a third party alternative! Even if it's something you think is proprietary, or something the manufacturer claims is proprietary more often than not you'll be able to find a perfectly fine "generic" version of the same product. Be aware, though, and don't go too cheap. Too many horror stories of accessories catching fire, or completely damaging a product!
