Where to buy lightning cable

As established Anker Powerline II fans, it stands to reason that we'll be recommending the shortened version of their lightning cable in this category, too. Not many people opt for a one-footer for obvious reasons: Primarily, that it's so short. It probably won't stretch between your outlet and your bedside table for overnight charges, but it's great for hooking up to portable chargers when you're out and about or charging from your laptop without you having to hassle with a foot long cord.

It's also MFi-certified, fast charging, and durable, as you'd expect. The Native Union Night cable is a footer that checks all the basic boxes, but with a unique black and white chevron design. The braided fabric cable is durable, MFi-certified, and charges quickly. It comes in four different colorways, including Zebra and Indigo, as well as three different connector types.

That's thanks to a combination of copper wires, flexible graphene, and a soft silicone gel exterior. Beyond functionality, it also nails the aesthetics, taking the millennial pastel route so you might want to coordinate it with your new iPhone Besides the standard white and black, Anker's cords also come in the delicate grey purple seen here, seafoam green, and pink—all edged in rose gold.

The brand says their cords can resist the teeth of a chainsaw, which we were not given the budget to test, but we can attest that their cords do feel like they will last forever.

The indestructibility is nice, but even more practical is the sturdy cord that can hold itself up, not unlike a snake. Will you look like the laziest person in the world watching videos on your phone while the cord props it up on your couch? Should you stop doing so? Absolutely not.

This Lightning cable is made from a literally bulletproof material. Its braided wire is extremely sturdy, thanks to a tightly woven casing of reinforced Kevlar. And it charges much faster than the conventional Apple charger. The cable also comes with some useful built-in details, like a rubber cable tie that helps keep it wrapped when not in use. Now that we've sold you on every iteration of the Anker Powerline IIs, you might be ready to invest in a pack that comes in varying lengths for whatever outlet situations you find yourself in.

The lifetime guarantee sweetens the deal, ensuring that you can easily replace them if something malfunctions down the line. The brand Yefoot isn't a super recognizable name, but the specs are right: braided nylon for durability and looks, MFi certification for compatibility with a slew of Apple devices, and more than 18, positive reviews to back it up. Buy Now. AmazonBasics 3 ft Lightning Cable.

Native Union Belt 10 ft Lightning cable. Native Union Night Lightning Cable. Plus, at a whopping 10 feet long, this cable can reach all the way across the couch. As someone who until very recently slept on a lofted bed, I can tell you the extra length is a game changer—and a rarity in USB-C—to—Lightning cables. This cable is MFi-certified, sturdily built, and comfortable to grip, and it has a lifetime warranty. The 6-foot version is long enough to reach from a wall outlet to a nightstand or desk.

Other available lengths: 1 foot , 3 feet , 10 feet. This cable is available in a variety of lengths, making it convenient for a variety of needs.

The 1-foot version and 3-foot version are small and compact enough to pack up and take with you. The 6-foot version is a good length to reach from a wall outlet to a desk, bedside table, or kitchen countertop without adding unnecessary clutter.

And the foot version adds even more length to accommodate hard-to-reach outlets. The metal connectors slide easily into corresponding ports, and they maintain a solid connection once inserted. Also, they come with a hook-and-loop cable tie to keep them securely coiled and organized. The 3-foot and 6-foot versions of this cable come in a wider variety of colors than our other picks—black, white, red, and blue—and they cost a few dollars less, at the time of this writing.

Its adapters were the easiest to plug and unplug of any we tried, and stayed firmly in place once connected. Flaws but not dealbreakers: All three-in-one cables are an inelegant solution to address the multitude of cable standards and connectors needed to charge common devices.

But we think these are reasonable tradeoffs for extra versatility. We scoured Amazon, Google Shopping, and other major retailers to find the most widely available Lightning cables. In our experience, less-established brands have a harder time keeping products in stock and providing adequate customer support.

And cables from well-known companies often cost just pennies more. So, for subsequent rounds of testing, we mainly focused on the build quality of the sheath and housings—which vary widely from cable to cable—and made sure the metal connectors fit snugly into corresponding ports. Also, if the cable came with an accessory like a hook-and-loop cable tie to keep it neatly coiled or extra feature like a little LED light letting you know your device is charging , we considered the build quality and efficacy of that, too.

Plus, it costs more than its Anker counterpart. None of them offer the same combination of build quality, price, length options, portability, and multi-year warranties that our picks have. Plus, they have only an month warranty compared with a lifetime. CNN reported that a number of AmazonBasics products are prone to explode, catch on fire, or begin smoking, melting or causing electrical malfunctions, including our previous budget pick, the AmazonBasics Lightning to USB-A cable.

Since these cables cost a few dollars more than our picks, and this material is known to wear down or snag like a sweater after extended use, we decided not to test them again. Splurge for one of our top or upgrade picks and a USB-C charger , instead. It has a compact design, and its plastic adapters were easy to plug and unplug in our testing. However, the Monoprice's metal connectors were less stable when plugged into corresponding ports, which could cause interruptions in charging or transferring data.

With a bit of care, you can prolong the life of any cable. Tight coils and folds can damage the metal wires inside the cable, causing it to work improperly and shorten its lifespan. The hook-and-loop fasteners that Anker includes with most of its cables are great for properly storing your cables, because they allow a loosely coiled cable to hold its shape for compact storage.