Could a bad charger/adapter damage a mobile phone

it all depends if the phone gets hot or not while charging. it can get warm, but thats ok. however if it gets hot, then that is not ok......so.......if the phone gets hot due to the charger, then i would look to replace either the charger or the cable.

 

There are occasional stories of phones igniting which manufacturers generally blame on cheap chargers. I don't have access to the facts so can't say, but while it's supposed to be the phone that controls the charging process I could imagine that a mis-specified or faulty charger might provide the wrong voltage and hence cause problems.

Certainly if for any reason you overcharge a lithium battery it can be dangerous. So the answer to "could a faulty charger damage a phone" has to be "yes".

I don't accept that you have to use the original manufacturer's charger: I charge my phones with a range of chargers (from HTC, Samsung, Google, Anker, Apple or indeed my laptop's USB-C sockets). But you'll notice that there are no £/$/€5 unbranded chargers from dodgy Internet sites on that list: it's not worth cutting corners on these things.

 

Knockoff chargers could damage your phone’s battery. “Cheaper chargers don’t necessarily have the standards in place to fill your phone constantly with the correct voltage,” says Nichols. “The fluctuation of voltage can damage the charger port, and even damage your battery.” In a pinch, an off-brand cord probably won’t do as much damage as a knockoff of the piece that plugs into the wall or car might. But your best bet is to stick with manufacturer-certified products, says Nichols.

 

absolutely. since they both are electrical devices, it can damage the charging port, and even the phone. It might even brick your device.

 

I know cheapo and knock-off chargers bought from Wish, or Ebay, or night markets, or whatever. They may not only ruin your phone, they may also ruin you as well, with risks of electric shock and/or fire. Some of them can be absolutely lethal.

Some of them can be seen here.

 

Who is Nichols? and what article did you copy and paste this from?

 

It all depends on whether or not the phone becomes hot when charging. It can become hot, but that's fine. However, if it becomes too hot, that is not acceptable.