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Best Lightning cables you can buy for your iPhone or iPad

Are you looking for a new Lightning cable for your iPhone? Maybe you just need a second one for the car or office, or maybe you wore out your old one. Whatever the reason, and whether you want a lightweight cable or one that's capable of surviving an encounter with a chainsaw, there's a Lightning cable here that's perfect for you.
By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer
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Anker Powerline II Lightning cable

The Anker Powerline II Lightning cable is the best all-rounder Lightning cable that money can buy. It's robust and well made (capable of surviving 12,000 bends and supporting 175lb/80kg, and backed up by a hassle-free, lifetime warranty.

It could be the last iPhone cable that you need to buy (at least until Apple changes the connector!).

Price: $14.99 for 6-foot length
BuyAmazon.com

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AmazonBasics Lightning Advanced Collection Lightning cable

If you are looking for a no-nonsense, everyday Lightning cable, then the AmazonBasics Lightning Advanced Collection cable is a good choice. Designed to withstand day to day use, and tested to make sure that it can take being bent to 95-degrees 10,000 times, and backed by a 2-year warranty, this is probably the best value cable available.

Price: $10.99 fo 6-foot length
Buy: Amazon.com

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Fuse Chicken Titan Lightning cable

If you want a cable that can survive a pet -- or even a chainsaw -- attack, then the Fuse Chicken Titan Lightning cable is the cable for you. It's not cheap, but you do get an industrial-grade cable that's been armored by two layers of flexible, high-strength stainless steel.

Price: $34.95 for 3-foot length
Buy: Amazon.com

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AmazonBasics Retractable Lightning cable

The AmazonBasics Retractable Lightning cable is perfect for throwing into a bag, purse, or pocket, without ending up in a bird's nest of a tangle! It's not a cable that's built to take too much punishment, but great for taking out and about.

Price: $12.99 for 2-foot
Buy: Amazon.com

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Twin-Pack Anker Powerline Lightning cables, short, 4-inch

Sometimes a small, compact cable is what you want, and a twin-pack of 4-inch Anker Powerline Lightning cables is the perfect solution. You get a flexible cable wrapped in a durable aramid fiber, making it resistant to fraying and wear-related damage, and an 18-month warranty in the event that you do break it.

Price: $14.99 for two 4-inch cables
Buy: Amazon.com

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Anker PowerLine II USB-C to Lightning

They've been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. Premium accessories brand Anker is the first to announce third-party USB-C to Lightning cables for the iPhone and iPad. 

So far, if you've wanted a USB-C to Lightning cable, Apple was your only choice. Yes, eBay is awash with fake cables that claim to support high-speed charging, but of the dozens I tested, none did. So it's good that finally a reputable brand is stepping in.

The Powerline+ USB-C to Lightning cable features connectors that are encased in an aluminum shell, and make use of Anker's reinforced braided nylon outer cable, making it the toughest cable for the home or on the go. 

The cable will also offered in the standard Powerline II format, where the cable is covered with aramid fiber for extra strength, which Anker claims gives it a bend lifespan of over five times greater than any other cable in the market.

Price: $15.99 for 3-foot length
Buy: Available March

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Nomad Universal (Lightning/microUSB/USB-C) cable

Finally, an all-in-one cable. The Nomad Universal cable comes with integrated multi-tip charging options to charge any mobile device. The core cable is USB A to microUSB. To this you can attach two tips; an MFi approved Lightning tip, and a USB Type C tip. This allows you to charge all your devices -- iPhone, Android and other USB powered devices -- with a single cable.

Price: $29.95 for 1-foot
Buy: HelloNomad.com

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