Enjoy the same features of an OEM USB-C to Lightning cable but at roughly half the cost.

I recently read about lithium-sulfur batteries, a newer type of battery that could potentially give us a 4-5 day charge on our smart devices. Until the battery technology advances, I am forced to charge my iPhone 11 Pro Max nightly. I know I am not alone in this need, as many of us have replaced several other pieces of tech with our phones. With Apple OEM USB-C to lightning cables costing $19 for the 1M and $35 for the 2M, I wanted a cheaper MFI option.

The AUKEY USB-C to Lightning cable arrived in a classy 3 1/8 inches tall by 3 5/8 inches wide by 1/2 inches thick retail package. The cover provided the bold AUKEY name across the top and detailed the 1.2 meter/3.9 foot USB-C to Lightning Cable just below the company name. Along the bottom of the panel, the company provided an attractive 2 1/2 inches wide by 1 3/4 inches tall image of the black, coiled, round-braided, USB-C to Lightning cable. I was pleased to find the “Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod” Logo nestled in between the descriptive product name and image. Simple yet elegant, I do not think that the cover could have told me anything more that I did not already know. I appreciated that the left, right, and top panels were left blank and the extraneous information was not placed upon the panels. The bottom panel provided some small print about the MFI logo, while the back panel listed compatible Apple Devices, the product SKU, typical manufacturing labels and company website, support email, and physical address.

I removed the outer plastic, lifted the lid of the packaging and removed the plastic-wrapped USB-C to Lightning cable, which was wound around a cardboard spool. Resting beneath the cable, I found a single panel 24-month product warranty card (with reverse key sticker), and a multilingual instruction manual. The model CB-CL02 cable promised 480Mbps data speed through the braided-nylon, black cable. The 0.86ounce/25gram cable measured 50 inches from end to end. The USB-C end measured 1 3/8 inches long and had a 1/2 inch long neck section. The Lightning end measured 1 1/4 inches long and had a 1/2 inch long neck section. The well designed braided section of the cable made up the remainder of the 50 inches total length. Included with the device, you will find a black velcro retention strap, which measured 1/2 inches wide.

If you have ever used a cheap USB cable, then you know that these cables tend to fail at the neck/junction regions. With the 1/2 inches long neck segments, the AUKEY cables should endure beyond many of their competition. To test each of the ends, I gripped each prong of the cable and twisted them, bent them, and tugged at them, twenty-five times each direction. The prongs remained secure and I did not find any source of splitting of the cable or evidence of excess tension.

I paired the AUKEY USB-C to Lightning Cable with the AUKEY 27W PD Wall charger (REVIEW TO FOLLOW) and with the AUKEY 18W PD Car charger (REVIEW TO FOLLOW). With a maximal charge rate of 18W PD, I found that my phone charged from 8-54% in 32 minutes on the wall charger and up to 76% by the 45-minute mark. At about 95 minutes, my phone was fully charged. I found the rate of charge was similar to car charging and to be on par with the wall charging data. After a quick internet search, I found several other data sources, which utilized the 18WPD Apple charger for evaluation of the rates of charge. They received essentially the same data that I used.

I was pleased with the cable retention strap, with the braided-nylon flexible cable, and the USB-C/Lightning ends. With newer Apple devices, I needed USB-C to Lightning. Unlike the AUKEY USB-C to USB-C cable, the USB-C to Lightning cable was MFI. This may not add much to the packaging, but it added a significant amount to my trust in the product. An 84% 5* Amazon rating, at the time of publication of this review, suggested that many users agreed with me. Plus, for roughly half the price of the standard 1m Apple charger, why not grab two of these.

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