What to bring for an Android phone in NYC
USB-C for anything recent, a charger that actually supports your phone's fast-charge standard, and a power bank in your carry-on. From outside North America, add a Type A/B plug adapter.
USB-C, and bring a spare
Every current Android phone uses USB-C. Only quite old handsets still use the smaller trapezoid micro-USB — if that's you, bring two cables, because you will not find one easily.
Even on USB-C, pack a spare. Cables are the component most likely to fail on a trip.
Bring your own fast charger, not a generic one
Android fast charging is fragmented in a way iPhone's isn't. Samsung, Google, OnePlus and Xiaomi each layer their own standard on top of USB Power Delivery, and a random charger often falls back to slow speeds.
Bring the charger that came with the phone, or a known-good USB-PD charger of 30 W or more. A charger that technically works but delivers 5 W is worse than useless on a sightseeing day.
Power bank in the carry-on
Lithium batteries must not go in checked baggage. That's an airline safety rule and it is enforced at the gate.
10,000 mAh is the sweet spot for a day out. Many airlines have also restricted using or charging power banks in-flight, so check yours.
If your phone does reverse wireless charging, you can top up earbuds from the phone and leave one charger at home.
Plug adapter for Type A/B sockets
US sockets take Type A/B — two flat parallel pins. Buy the adapter before you fly.
A useful trick: a multi-port USB charger plus one adapter charges your phone, watch, earbuds and a friend's phone from a single socket. Hotel rooms are chronically short of reachable outlets.
Check the voltage label before you pack anything else
The US runs 120 V, 60 Hz. Look at the fine print on each charger.
"INPUT: 100–240 V" means dual-voltage — a plug adapter alone is fine. That covers essentially all phone and laptop chargers.
Anything with a heating element — hair dryer, straightener, travel iron — is usually single-voltage and will either underperform badly or burn out. Leave them; the hotel will have a hair dryer.
Turn off Wi-Fi Assistant before you land
Android's Wi-Fi Assistant, or your carrier's equivalent, silently hands you between Wi-Fi and mobile data. On a foreign SIM with roaming charges that can get expensive without you noticing.
Either turn it off, or turn data roaming off entirely and rely on Wi-Fi and an eSIM.