Review on ⚡ Apple Lightning to USB-C Cable (1 m): Fast and Efficient Charging and Data Transfer by Jay Maryland

As of the first half of 2019, Apple has finally certified other companies to manufacture USB-C to Lightning cables. Competition produces quality and often the best prices. Apple's standard 1-meter USB-C to Lightning cable has dropped from $25 to $19, but it's still expensive. I own three. Even more worrisome is that many reviews note that Apple's outer cable jacket tends to wear out and break fairly quickly, a long-standing problem with many of its products. Read on to find out who makes the best Lightning USB-C cable: Apple, Belkin, or Anker. Warning, spoilers: The most famous brand in the world doesn't make the highest quality Lightning USB-C cable. Belkin has been around for a long time and has a solid reputation. Unknown just a few years ago, Anker is now a leading and respected name in electronic peripherals, especially cables. Buying cables from Belkin or Anker won't save you much money, but more importantly, are they better? Do they last longer? are they faster Are their guarantees better than Apple's? COMPARISON OF APPLE, BELKIN AND ANKER: QUALITY AND ASSEMBLY SPEED Apple to Lightning to USB-C Cable: As you can see in the photo, the 39-inch Apple cable is the thinnest and offers where the plug coincides, the lowest protection against bending damage of the cable sheath. I owned three versions of Apple within six months. They're picking up dirt and starting to look light gray rather than white, but all work well, no wear YET. The guarantee is only one year. What about Apple's loading speed? Impressive! It also charged an Apple iPhone XS from 1% to 53% in 30 minutes, for a total charge of 52%. But for $19 I would go with one of the Anker Powerline versions for the best warranties and superior construction. To get this kind of wired charging performance, you need a Power Delivery charging box or car charger with at least 18W. Any higher power will NOT make you perform better. I will explain more about what to look for in a charging box later in the review. I chose the Excellent Aukey 18W charger. It's very compact, at a bargain price of $12 when it's often on sale. I own three. It has outperformed other brands in my previous testing and this has contributed to an amazing 52% increase. I use Aukey and Choetech chargers in my cars. Both also charge to around 50% in 30 minutes. Again, for a car, you'll need to use a USB-C to Lightning cable with at least an 18W charger. Belkin Boost Charge USB-C to Lightning Cable: The $20 Belkin cable has the typical plastic shell but is 3.4mm thick, significantly thicker than the Apple cable. It is very well built and impressive. It is unlikely to tear. Its length is the longest of the three - 4 feet. This can be an advantage inside. For a car I would have preferred a shorter 3ft cord. It has an impressive two-year warranty, a full year longer than Apple's. What about Belkin loading speed? Connected to Apple! Belkin charged an Apple iPhone XS from 1% to 53% in 30 minutes for a total charge of 52%. Impressive! $20, just a dollar more than the Apple cable. You get a much stronger cable with a longer warranty. Impressive work Belkin! Anker Powerline+ II USB-C to Lightning Braided Cable: As you can see from the photo, Anker's 3-foot braided black cable is the thickest of the three. Firmly! The shield runs deep and is unlikely to loosen where it meets the braided section with repeated use. This is my first braided cable. It's actually dark grey. It's so thick and strong that it doesn't lay flat straight away and is a bit bulkier when traveling than an Apple or Belkin cable, or Anker's regular powerline cable. At $22, it's the most expensive of the three. Still, it has a lifetime warranty compared to 18 months for Anker's regular powerline. It's worth a few more euros. One thing I love about the Anker cable that the others I've reviewed don't: the handy zip tie. What about Anker loading speed? Brilliant! It also charged an Apple iPhone XS from 1% to 53% in 30 minutes for a total charge of 52%! If I already had three Apple cables, why did I keep buying more? My new search began when I was looking for black. USB-C to Lightning cable. Impossible to find when Apple was a monopoly. My car seats are dark in color and I fast charge most of my cars while driving. The white Apple cable stands out unattractively against dark skin. What about all the other brands that are suddenly coming out? Despite some tempting reviews, I urge you not to buy a USB-C to Lightning cable unless it's Apple MFI certified. Stay away from cheap products that claim to be certified but can fall apart quickly - it's not worth having such an important cable in your arsenal. I also have great confidence in the speed of Aukey and Choetech's products, but found Choetech to be lacking in customer service. UGreen has a good reputation but I haven't tested their products yet. Morphie is also expensive, but does good. ALL MAJOR WARRANTY AND SERVICE COMPARISONS: Apple is always easy to deal with, but the one-year warranty is a downer. I only have two Belkin products. Their typical two year warranty is amazing and they are a respected company. I've had mixed results with the Anker service. Three cables from the bottom Powerline USB-A to Lightning line have failed. One was under warranty and was replaced. The rest is out of warranty. So the Powerline II lifetime warranty is worth it in my opinion for just a few extra bucks upfront. I had a bad experience with Anker and it still baffles me because the company's reputation is generally good. I got a new wireless charger from Anker that advertised a two meter cable. When it arrived with only a three foot cord, I thought it would be easy to get a replacement from Anker. However, Anker told me that even though the charger model was the same, only one vendor had a six-foot cable. I was only offered a 10% discount on a new cable and felt really unfair even when the offer was increased to 20% after asking for a supervisor. This was very disappointing and I would have returned the Anker charger if it hadn't been a gift from my wife. (When shopping for a wireless charging stand, keep in mind that a 3-foot USB-A to Lightning cable may not be enough to connect a desk to an outlet.) You have a device labeled "USB-C Power Delivery " Bought ". This is also referred to as PD. Wired USB-C to Lightning charging speeds are nearly the same whether you're using an 18W power bank or a higher wattage power bank, as long as it's a Power Delivery charger. Unless they double charge a laptop, stick with cheaper and smaller 18W units. Reliable PD chargers can sometimes be found on sale at Revain for as little as $12. That's how I first discovered Aukey. This miniature 18w charger is as fast as any on the market and I now have three of them. It was also the fastest by 2-3% in the comparison test with other brands. The same applies to car chargers. Look for PD and at least 18W. Of course, you'll need another USB-C to Lightning cable, to take advantage of the top speeds talked about in this review. Only buy a charging box or car charger with more than 18W if you also use it to charge your tablet or laptop. On "fast” wireless charging versus wired charging: wireless charging technology is still in a relatively early stage. Wireless chargers are very convenient. However, if you're in a hurry, the fastest way to charge an Apple phone today is to use a wired USB-C charger rated at at least 18W and an Apple-certified USB-C to Lightning cable. I hope this review was helpful - thanks for covering all the details. These are all good cables depending on your specific needs, preferred length, the color options and the guarantee. GOOD CHARGE! Wireless charging technology is still in a relatively early stage. Wireless chargers are very convenient. However, if you're in a hurry, the fastest way to charge an Apple phone today is with a wired USB-C charger rated at at least 18W along with an Apple-certified USB-C to Lightning cable. I hope this review was helpful - thanks for covering all the details. These are all good cables depending on your specific needs, preferred length, color options, and warranty. SUCCESSFUL LOADING! Wireless charging technology is still in a relatively early stage. Wireless chargers are very convenient. However, if you are in a hurry, The fastest way to charge an Apple phone today is to use a wired USB-C charger with at least 18W and an Apple-certified USB-C to Lightning cable. I hope this review was helpful - thanks for covering all the details. These are all good cables depending on your specific needs, preferred length, color options, and warranty. SUCCESSFUL LOADING!