Connecting cables for modern iPhones and iPods

[nobby]

Any recommendations for makes of, or where to buy, good quality connecting cables with usb to lightning connectors, please.
The cheap pound shop ones aren't lasting very long.

[citoyen]

I use Anker ones and would recommend them. They’re pretty reliable though even good quality cables don’t last forever.

[nobby]

Thanks Citoyen

[Zipperhead]

I use Anker ones and would recommend them. They’re pretty reliable though even good quality cables don’t last forever.

I would second that. Although I don't use Apple equipment, I try only to buy Anker cables and chargers. They're well made and deliver more current than other cables (I've measured them).

Obviously the red ones charge fastest.

[citoyen]

Obviously the red ones charge fastest.

Obviously!

[Valiant]

Aukey, every bit as good as Anker but cheaper.

[ian]

I dunno what you lot do with cables, but I never break mine. Plus my lightning cables seem to have bred. Those and VGA>DisplayPort although I have a feeling I've inadvertently stolen them from various meeting rooms and conference sites.

[Kim]

Usual way of killing USB cables is either treading on the connectors, or supporting the weight of the device by the cable where it exits the strain relief because someone thought it was a good idea to put the charging socket on the bottom edge.

I find the ones that live on my desk for plugging things into the computer last approximately forever.  The one in the bedroom that charges my tablet is fine if you don't leave the trailing plug where it'll get trodden on.  The ones I carry around, particularly those used when camping, tend to die much more rapidly, because of weight-bearing and bend-radius abuse.

I've found that right (or left) angled connectors seem to help somewhat.  Startech ones are okay (they also do a handy looking one with a hammerhead plug with both mini and micro USB on it, but those are made of cheese).

Apple proprietary connectors just add to the fun...

[Valiant]

I've been using magnetic connectors a lot in the last couple of years and they've been great.

[grams]

I've definitely experienced Poundland/cheapo Lightning cables lasting a few days and then being useless. I'd love to know what causes it.

Anker ones seem fine. Although I did once have one of their ultra premium ones that came in its own leatherette carrying pouch (!) that seemed to last less well than their normal ones.

[Kim]

I've definitely experienced Poundland/cheapo Lightning cables lasting a few days and then being useless. I'd love to know what causes it.

They're probably being really stingy with the copper in the cable.  Usual symptom is poor charging due to the voltage drop, but low tolerance to repeated flexing or sharp bend angles is quite likely.

Unless they've cocked up the connector itself somehow.  I've not used Lightning enough to know if it's particularly delicate...

[Beardy]

I've found that lightening connecters lose their ambidextrousness first and I've a Lightening to USB C that doesn't always work, but I've yet to work out if its ambidextrousness related what with both ends proclaiming such and because the fault is slow charging not no charging.

[Kim]

A couple of thoughts on Lightning from a non-Apple-fangirl:

They've put the spring in the socket on the expensive device, rather than in the plug on the (relatively) cheap cable.  This is the opposite of micro-USB (mini-USB works this way) and seems like a retrograde step.

The ambidextrousness is done in software!  Each pin is connected directly to the one on the opposite side, and the microcontroller in the connector has to work out which way up it is.  Hammer to crack a walnut, but I suppose if you've got a micro doing vendor-lock-in already, it makes the physical construction simpler.


*wanders off shaking head*

[Beardy]

perhaps they should do away with the spring all together and use a positive lock ala BNC. Seldom had problems with those.

[grams]

They're probably being really stingy with the copper in the cable.  Usual symptom is poor charging due to the voltage drop, but low tolerance to repeated flexing or sharp bend angles is quite likely.

You think you get *copper* in the cables from Poundland?

I've not had the same problem with cheap micro USB cables, at least not as quickly. I believe Lightning cables have an active anti-counterfeiting chip in the plug and my assumption is the phone is rejecting it for whatever reason. Either the phone is recognising it as dodgy (although the phone doesn't show a message) or the chip is just not very good at imitating a genuine one for very long.

[Kim]

You think you get *copper* in the cables from Poundland?

Got to make the cruddy lead-free solder from something

[citoyen]

I dunno what you lot do with cables, but I never break mine.

I think I have found the answer to why our cables don't last very long: I caught my wife unplugging her phone this morning by grabbing the cable and yanking it out... *wince*

[ian]

Let's hope for your sake that she doesn't extend that approach to bedroom activities.