Apple certified cables. How to Choose a Quality, Inexpensive Lightning Cable for iPhone and iPad Charging

Earlier this month, Apple sued Amazon.com for selling counterfeit Apple products - specifically, unauthorized third-party Lightning cables and power adapters obtained from Mobile Star LLC on its website.

Apple purchased a number of third-party Apple-branded adapters that were sold directly on Amazon.com and determined that nearly 90% of those products were counterfeit. According to the complaint, these counterfeit power adapters pose an "immediate risk to consumer safety" because they are subject to "overheating, fire, and lethal electrical shock to consumers during normal use."

But not all third-party Lightning cables and power adapters are counterfeit or explode, after all, Apple licenses third-party companies to make MFi-certified accessories.

Here are some tips on how to find out if it's fake Lightning cable, which you purchased on eBay or certified.

Is it MFi certified?

Apple launches a licensing program that allows third parties to manufacture Apple accessories recommended by the company.

Because Apple charges fees for each MFi (Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad) certified accessory at around $4 per connector, these accessories tend to be more expensive. If the cable was purchased for less than $4, it is probably not a licensed accessory from a third party accessory manufacturer.

What does the connector look like?

A fake Lightning cable is unlikely to explode, no matter how well made it is. Most likely the problem with a fake Lightning cable is that it will not charge the device (or it will charge the device very slowly), but there is also a risk of damage to the device from a bad charging process.

For this reason, Apple has created an entire page dedicated to identifying fake cables. The easiest way to see if a cable is fake at a glance is to check the Lightning connector. Certified Lightning connectors are made from a single piece of smooth metal, and the white part has rounded corners.

The USB connector can also tell you if the product is Apple-certified or counterfeit.

Where to buy MFi-certified cables for cheap.

Apple products may have issues with many third-party products on Amazon.com, but Amazon actually sells its own MFi-certified Lightning cables in several lengths. Cable A meter cable costs $6, and a 2-meter cable costs $8. Other MFi-certified manufacturers include Belkin, Griffin, Moshi, and Ventev Mobile.

It is not for us to tell iOS device owners about the unreliability of bundled lightning cables. And half a year is enough for the rubber winding to wear out, and the cable itself needs to be replaced. An additional battery, an analogue of MagSafe, an indestructible cable - the editors of McRadar have collected 5 alternative options for you that are superior to Apple Lightning to USB.

ZNAPS

For a long time, the appearance of magnetic charging, as in the MacBook, remained an object of desire and discussion among iPhone and iPad users. While MagSafe, introduced back in 2006, is starting to disappear from MacBook cases, the folks at Znaps have come up with an alternative implementation for iOS devices. The project is still raising money on Kickstarter, but even 23 days before the end of the campaign, the team of creators had at their disposal an amount that was 10 times higher than the original one.

A set of adapters for the iPhone cable and port costs $9, and you only need to attach them once to the intended objects to function. Znaps is able to both charge the phone and synchronize, and the adapter plug for the lightning port does not interfere with the use of covers and bumpers. The first orders are expected to be delivered this fall.

Anker Lightning to USB Cable

The editors of the eminent Engadget blog expressed their opinion on choosing the best lightning cable. During extensive testing, engineers measured the "throughput" of 50 cables and declared the inexpensive Anker Lightning to USB the winner.

It is protected from refractions near the connector by a plastic casing, and when connecting the iPad Air to a 12-watt adapter, the tablet receives the reference 2.4 amps necessary for fast charging. At the same time, Anker Lightning to USB is half the price of the bundled Apple cable, and the only reason to refuse to buy is the massiveness of the plastic part of the connector. If you have a case with a small charging socket, this cable is not for you.

JUMP cable

Native Union have created a lot of interesting and functional gadget accessories, but JUMP is the most practical of them all. This result of a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter has been on sale for more than a year and replaces three gadgets at once.

JUMP is a cable, plastic case and emergency battery. Its fabric winding protects against creases, and the built-in 800 mAh battery will come in handy in moments when there is no outlet or laptop at hand for a full charge. Auto-charging is another interesting feature of the novelty, which automatically detects when the gadget is charged and transfers power to the batteries built into the plastic case.

Spring Lightning

If you are looking for a literally eternal cable for iPhone or iPad, check out MOS Spring Lightning. The manufacturer gives a lifetime warranty on it, which means that you should not doubt the reliability.

The plastic elements of the connectors were replaced with aluminum ones, the cable kinks near them were prevented by metal springs, and protection along the entire length was provided with a special exoskeleton winding. What can I say, this is the most durable and beautiful cable in the selection.

MemoriesCable

If cables with a built-in battery are no longer surprising, then PhotoFast MemoriesCable with 128 GB of additional memory will try to do this. In addition to this, it is compact, and metal is used in the construction of connectors instead of plastic.

There is only one drawback of the cable, and it is obvious: in order to use additional gigabytes of memory, a media combine application is required. Listening to music, watching movies and even photos is done in this application. However, the proprietary solution has its advantages. PhotoFast encrypts files, syncs photos from social networks, supports cloud storage, and backs up data at night while charging.

Hello everyone, reviews on micro usb cables can be seen on the music almost every day, which cannot be said about lightning, I decided to correct this moment and do a small comparative test of eight cables from different brands.
For testing chose as certified mfi cables and simple ones that do not have a certificate.

Let's start with a little theory.

I think everyone in my life has encountered the fact that after a certain amount of time there was a need to replace the standard cable. The reason could be as damage to the old, loss, etc. Owners of Android devices have no big problems with choosing a new cable, both in terms of choosing a model / brand and financially. The price of a more or less high-quality cable for android ranges from 1 to 4 dollars.
But not everything is so simple with the choice of cable for Apple products. There are both expensive certified ones and simple ones for half a buck on the market - not certified bucks. What is the difference?
The Lightning connector is owned by Apple and third parties cannot release products with this connector without a license to do so. Especially for this purpose, the Mfi program (Made for iPod, Made for iPhone, Made for iPad) was announced in 2005; "Made for iPhone, iPod." If you see the MFi mark on your headphones or cable, you can be sure that the pinout of these accessories is absolutely correct and the device will work as expected. The cost of royalties for each Lightning connector is $4, which means that, in theory, an Mfi-certified cable cannot cost less than $4 .
With this, everything is clear, but how to prove that the cable is really certified? What prevents any unscrupulous manufacturer from simply affixing a sign Mfi on products and sell under the guise of certified? And the thing is that, in every Mfi cable there is a chip with a unique code sewn in. The code must be present in the database. Thanks to this code, the device recognizes the cable as certified and works in the normal mode - charging / data transfer.
Non-certified cables do not have a chip in the connector, but Chinese manufacturers have learned to bypass this protection. Such cables can work normally for a year or just 1 day. Most often, after updating ios, the cables stop charging and a warning is displayed that an uncertified accessory is connected.

Let's move on from theory to test participants.

Heroes of the review:

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7. Original cable from Apple (included with the device)
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Pushingbest 1m/2A






Cable from a little-known manufacturer, braided nylon, the only one reviewed that came without any packaging. The connectors have metal inserts that are poorly glued, one of them has peeled off. The cable is the thickest of all that have been tested, hard, the actual length (excluding connectors) is 92cm, with the declared 100cm. Not certified, when charging the iPad, no warnings popped up.

CRDCsmart 1.2m/2A/Mfi






The cable is braided, fabric, the connectors are made entirely of metal. The manufacturer claims that it is certified, but for some reason I could not find it in the Apple MFi database, maybe I was looking badly (. The iPad charges without problems, there were no warnings about a non-certified cable.

Choetech 1m/2.4A Mfi






I think we all already know this brand from their cheap micro usb cables, which cannot be said about lightning. The price came out a little more than $ 6, this is the average for MFI. As for the cable itself - this is the toughest of all that I had on my hands. This cable can cut logs)). It is covered with mesh on top, bends well and retains its shape, I think there is a screen inside. The MFI cable is also present in the Apple base.

Mcdodo 1m/2.4A Silver Mfi






Mcdodo 1m / 2.4A Silver Mfi - most similar to the original cable from Apple, but this is not a complete copy of it. The connectors are similar in thickness and shape to the original Apple, but inferior in flexibility. Connectors are metal and have brand logos.

Mcdodo 1m/2.1A Gray






Not certified cable from mcdodo in a rag braid, pleasant to the touch, flexible. Metal connectors with plastic inserts.

Original cable from Apple (included with the iPad)






The original cable from Apple, after a year of active use, was bare to a metal braid, but it still performs its function.

ORICO 23 cm White 4 in 1






Universal cable from Orico, a kind of camping cable that you can carry with you. Does not have a certificate, when charging apple devices, a message was sometimes displayed about not certified accessory.

Cable from Zapals 3 in 1






A three-headed lanyard from a zapals, was received for free during the days of daily free offers. The quality is lame, there are burrs, casting irregularities. The lightning cable does not have a certificate, the technical characteristics are not impressive.

Testing

The test stand was represented by an Orico QSE-5U charger, testers from Juwei, a usb load (with smooth adjustment) and a cable connection board. In order to minimize losses, I soldered the board and load directly to the tester.



In the first test, I compared the voltage drop at a current of 1A. Without a cable, the voltage was 5.12V. The results obtained during the test of the cables themselves were summarized in a general table.
The best values ​​were shown by specimens with MFI, the cable refused to work at all.

The next test is similar to the first, only the current strength is increased to 2 amperes. The leadership of cables with MFI is preserved here as well. I don’t know why, but the cable from the zapals didn’t want to work here either.



And finally, I tested the cables directly in the field, i.e. when charging an Apple device, namely the 2013 iPad Air. Through the native cable, the iPad took 1.97A, I expected more, perhaps such a small value is due to the fact that the cable is no longer the first freshness. Cables with MFI turned out to be the best in this test as well, but in fairness I want to note that Mcdodo without MFI and Pushingbest without MFI showed not bad values, they coped with 2A. Zapals and Orico cables did not let more than 1A through.

Are all Lightning cables the same? Why wire prices can differ several times? What is the best cable to buy? Experts decided to answer these questions with practical examples and experiments. The study is dedicated to ordinary consumers who are familiar with physics as part of the school curriculum. But the test results may be of interest to advanced users as well.

Someday you will find that your original Lightning cable breaks near the Lightning connector with frequent use. Nothing personal just business. And the accessories business can be very lucrative. What could be easier than buying the same original Apple cable as a replacement? You go to a store or store website and see that an Apple cable costs from 1200 rubles ($19 in an official American store). This price will make someone wonder why a piece of wire is so expensive? At the same time, dozens of Lightning cables from other manufacturers, both famous and nameless, lie nearby, costing from 150 rubles to several thousand. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of manufacturers who produce such cables under different brands. Chinese shoppers will find that all major Chinese marketplaces offer Lightning cables from 50 cents per kilo. Hundreds of options. And the "100% New Original Genuine Real Authentic Apple Lightning" offerings in the package with all stickers from $3 each are endless. And what to choose?

There are both certified and non-certified cables on sale. Moreover, the market is full of fakes for the most popular brands (for example, Apple, Belkin, etc.). With non-certified Lightning cables, there is another caveat. An authentication chip is built into the Lightning connector, with which Apple tries to fight uncertified accessories. Previously, you could encounter the fact that the cable stopped working after an iOS update, the device reported an uncertified accessory. But Chinese manufacturers have long learned to get around this "problem", such messages have become rare.

Original cable from Apple (MFi)

Everyone is familiar with this cable. The cable is thin, medium rigidity. Length 1 meter. Let's call it "Apple". A small recommendation for buying this cable. This is the most counterfeit Lightning cable. Sellers on eBay will be happy to sell you such a cable for $3 in branded packaging, given that it costs $19 in the official Apple store. You need to buy such a cable only in an authorized store to reduce the risk of buying a fake.

Original cable from Apple after a couple of years of active use (MFi)

Without a torn cable, the test will be incomplete. This picture was highlighted by many consumers of Apple products. The cable is absolutely working, but it does not look very nice. The test will show if the characteristics of the damaged cable change. Let's call it "Apple U".

One of the cheapest cables from Aliexpress

This cable was purchased from Aliexpress for $0.67. He had a couple of tens of thousands of sales and a rating above 96%. By the time the article was published, the lot had been removed from the site (but there are plenty of similar lots). The cable is flat, very thin, even translucent. There are burrs on the plastic case. There are different colors. Length 1 meter. Let's call it Red.

Cable KALUOS (MFi)

This cable is sold literally everywhere. It is present on all major trading platforms, even in popular and reputable non-Chinese online stores. It's cheap, about $3. The look and quality is just amazing. A thick cable of medium hardness, nylon braid, aluminum connector housing - when you take it in your hands, you get the feeling of a very high-quality and expensive product that you want to use. There are two colors: silver and gold. And two lengths. Oddities arose with the MFi certification. MFi logos are indicated everywhere, but this brand is not in the Apple database. Let's call this cable "KALUOS".

Belkin cable (MFi)

The main problem with this cable is a huge number of fakes. Because the brand is incredibly popular, this cable has been hit by an army of fakes. It is very difficult to distinguish the original from the fake (even the packaging is completely copied). We cost from 500 rubles to several thousand. On different trading platforms from 2 dollars. In reputable online stores from $10. In the official store 19 dollars. It's on eBay for $4. Everything came in original packaging. The seller swore under an oath that the cable was original from Belkin. The cable is thick, medium hardness. Length 1.2 meters. Lightning connector as on MFi cables (cheap cables usually have a different connector). Considering the price, there is no doubt that this is a fake cable.

Cable Lemfo (MFi)

The cable is certified by MFi, is in the Apple database. And not just certified, but a complete copy of the original cable from Apple (the company provides a template). It can be distinguished from the original Apple cable only by the lemfo logo and the absence of the inscription “Designed by Apple…” on the cable itself. The same thickness, the same rigidity, the same connectors without differences. Length 1 meter. It costs $10 on JD. The cable is sold in many other stores, for example, in Amazon it costs $ 8. Let's call it "Lemfo".

Cable from YourCharger

Length 2 meters. The cable is thick and very flexible. You can only buy it on eBay for $8. It is also available in white and different lengths, up to 5 meters. This cable is for charging only (all the wires inside are for power only), you cannot sync data with it. Let's call it "YourCharger".

SNOWKIDS cable (MFi)

Certified cable, present in the Apple database. The cable is thick, medium hardness. Connectors are massive. Length 1.3 meters. Feels like a quality product in the hand. JD is $10. In China, you can buy it locally for $6. Included is a Velcro for cable management. Let's call it "Snowkids".

Nillkin cable

The brand is popular. Thousands of sales on many sites and a 100% buyer rating. On the Aliexpress site it will cost $ 4.5. High-quality packaging with a secret code to verify originality (like Xiaomi). The cable is flat, thick and flexible. There are slight burrs on the connectors, but in the hands it feels like a very high quality product. Cable length 1.2 meters. The cable has a strap for cable management. Various colors are available. The cable does not have MFi certification, it is not written anywhere and there is no brand on the base. Let's call him "Nillkin".

triple cable

Nameless cable, 23 cm. Triple - microUSB, Lightning, Apple 30-pin. Fabric braid. The thickness is medium, flexible. Let's call it "Triple".

ESK Cable (MFi)

Certified MFi cable, present in the Apple database. But there are no labels or logos on the cable itself. A complete copy of the original cable from Apple (made according to the template). It is impossible to distinguish, only by the absence of the inscription "Designed by Apple ..." on the cable itself. Length 1 meter. You can find $10 on JD. Let's call it "ESK".

Biaze cable (MFi)

This cable will cost $6 on Aliexpress. Sold without a name, just "certified MFi cable", "confirmation" photos were present. Buyer rating 100%. Upon receipt, the Biaze logo was found on the cable. This brand is not in the Apple database. At first glance, it may seem that this is a 100% copy of the original Apple cable (made according to the template), but when compared, it turned out that the Biase cable is thinner. Cable length 1 meter. Let's call him "Biaze".

Just cheap cable #1

This cable sells for $0.62 on Aliexpress. The main task was to find the cheapest cable that is similar to the Apple cable. The most popular Lightning cable on Aliexpress - over forty thousand sales, buyer rating is above 95%. Not a cable, but a dream. It looks like an Apple cable, but the differences are immediately visible. The connectors are different in detail, the cable itself is thinner. Cable length 1 meter. Let's call it "Fake 1".

Just cheap cable #2

This cable can be bought in Moscow for 200 rubles. We were looking for the cheapest cable offline: "Give me the cheapest cable, charge the iPhone." It looks like an Apple cable, but the differences are immediately visible. The connectors are different in detail, the cable itself is thinner. Cable length 1 meter. Let's call it "Fake 2".

Long cheap cable

This cable was bought a long time ago for $1 on eBay. Cable length 2 meters. This cable and YourCharger are the longest in the review. The cable is similar to the cable from Apple, but the differences are immediately visible. The connectors are different in detail, the cable itself is thinner. Let's call it "Fake 3".

LG micro-USB cable and Lightning adapter

The cable from LG, in my experience, is one of the best micro-USB cables. There are many different adapters (including certified ones). In this review, we will use the cheapest non-certified adapter for $ 0.5. Let's call the cable "LG".

Experiment

The experiment used Charger Tronsmart TS-UC5PC. With the help of a load module (power dissipation 10 W), the output power of the cables was checked. The test results showed which cables have less total resistance (the wires themselves, connectors, soldering).

• Apple: 4.52V, 1.69A, 7.64W.
• Apple U: 4.41V, 1.65A, 7.26W.
• RED: 3.6V, 1.34A, 4.82W.
• Belkin: 4.18V, 1.57A, 6.56W.
• YourCharger: 4.29V, 1.6A, 6.86W.
• Nillkin: 4.40V, 1.64A, 7.22W.
• Lemfo: 4.54V, 1.69A, 7.67W.
• KALUOS: 3.95V, 1.47A, 5.8W.
• Biaze: 4.21V, 1.57A, 6.60W.
• Snowkids: 4.61V, 1.72A, 7.93W.
• Fake 3: 3.2V, 1.19A, 3.81W.
• Triple: 4.51V, 1.68A, 7.58W.
• ESK: 4.20V, 1.56A, 6.55W.
• Fake 1: 3.69V, 1.37A, 5.06W.
• Fake 2: 4.09V, 1.52A, 6.22W.
• LG: 4.38V, 1.63A, 7.14W.

Snowkids turned out to be the undisputed leader, he has minimum resistance of those tested:

W iPad charging current meters

Only 4 out of 16 cables provide 2.01A of current. All the others do not allow the iPad to consume current limiting current. What does it mean? Roughly speaking, for example, with a RED cable your iPad will charge 2.25 times longer than with cables: Apple, Lemfo, Snowkids.

conclusions

From the test, only 4 out of 16 cables provide the maximum current for the iPad mini: Apple (MFi), Snowkids (MFi), Lemfo (MFi), triple cable. Does the presence of the MFi logo guarantee that you will receive the highest quality cable that will charge the device with the maximum current? Does not guarantee, but the chances of acquiring quality cable rise.

Does the lack of MFi certification guarantee problems with charging or data transfer? Absolutely all cables from the review charged iPads and iPhones with iOS 9.2 without any problems without any reports of uncertified accessories. Absolutely all cables from the review provided a connection to a personal computer for data transfer without warning.

If you need a cable and you are ready to easily part with 1,500 rubles, then calmly buy an original Apple cable at any authorized store. You will get excellent quality (for a couple of years until it breaks again) without compromise.

If you want to buy a cable cheaper, then the general purchase recommendations are as follows: the MFi logo (Made for iPod, Made for iPhone, Made for iPad) must be present on the package; make sure the brand is in the Apple database; the cable should cost more than $5 (including deductions and quality components).

The Snowkids cable is the absolute leader in the review. It outperformed all the cables in the review, including the original cable from Apple. With this cable, you can charge any Apple device with maximum power output, and with the adapter, you can easily charge any device without significant loss.

Lightning (English lightning - lightning) cable replaced the previous, 30-pin connector in 2012. Since then, most Apple wearables have been connected via an 8-pin USB Lightning cable.

What is the main difference? Lightning is an all-digital connector that does not carry an analog signal. Practical bonus: the cable has become symmetrical - it can be connected in either direction. It's comfortable.

Apple devices most often come with a native, original Lightning - USB cable marked.

Good cable - long and elastic

Textile or leather braid options are elastic enough not to burst. They are less tangled and are a good choice for longer cable options.
If you need a long cable, take a look at the 1.8 meter long nylon option - it is both flexible and durable material.

Multi-layer protection

When nylon braid is not enough, additional layers of PVC, EMI and Kevlar fiber come into play. Such materials consist of a cable from.

It is important that additional protection does not affect the thickness of the cable - cables that are too thick are more at risk of breaking in your pocket.

Like Apple, only Belkin

The cables from Apple are as close as possible in performance to the original Lightning cable from Apple, while offering a variety of colors and a more durable design.

It is important to purchase only real products, fakes cannot boast of MFi certification.

Connectors are important

Lightning cables often break at the base of a short tie. The transition to the cable should be flexible, and the USB and Lightning connectors themselves should be chosen stronger.