The Best Lightning Cables of 2018

AmazonBasics Nylon Braided Lightning Cable (6 feet)

Our pick for the overall best Lightning cable you can buy right now is from Amazon's own brand: AmazonBasics. The Nylon Braided Lightning cable features everything we want in a Lightning Cable—it's long, built to last, and charges your phone without any hiccups.

The nylon braided casing is much sturdier than the standard rubber or plastic material you're likely to find on most Lightning cables, making it much less likely to split open and fray over time. Around the midsection of the cable is a velcro strap, which helps keep the cable comfortably coiled when the time comes to stow it away.

The cable itself is available in a 3-foot variant for $9.99, but we recommend paying the extra couple of bucks and getting the 6-foot variant for $11.99, unless a shorter length is what you seek.

AmazonBasics Lightning Cable (6 feet)

If fancy-shmancy nylon braiding isn't as important to you as saving money, you could opt for a cable with no frills whatsoever. This 6-foot-long, 8-dollar Lightning cable from AmazonBasics is about as no-frills as you can get.

Sure, you might be tempting fate with an inexpensive cable made from materials that typically degrade with extended use, but perhaps you can get in front of this problem by buying a two-pack for around $16.

Additionally, this basic cable can be purchased in 3-foot and 10-foot lengths, making it a suitable option regardless of where you intend to do your charging.

Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable (1 meter)

For folks who want to fast-charge their phone, Apple offers an official USB-C to Lightning cable that gets the job done, albeit with a few drawbacks.

First, lets talk about what works: If your iPhone or iPad supports fast-charging and you've got an accompanying wall adapter that supports it as well, the USB-C to Lightning cable will serve you well.

Unfortunately, this particular cable is priced at a premium: about $25 for 1 meter of total length. For $35, you could opt for a 2-meter cable, but if you ask us, $35 is a heck of a lot of cash to drop on a cable.

Being a first-party Apple cable, you'll also just as likely to encounter cable degradation (particularly at the cable's weak points) as you are with their standard USB-A to Lightning cables, which have a nasty habit of breaking down over time.

Syncwire Lightning Cable (1 meter)

This 3.3-foot Lightning cable from Syncwire is a decent option for iPhone users on a budget (though we still recommend AmazonBasics' standard Lightning cable for people looking to spend as little as possible on a reliable cable).

Although the cable held up well over the course of testing, the cable's casing doesn't seem to be well protected for years' worth of use. You can, however, spring for the rose gold or gray variants, which use a more durable nylon casing.

Right now, bargain hunters can pick up the standard, non-nylon white variant for only $8.99 on Amazon.

Anker PowerLine+ Lightning Cable (6 feet)

Hardware manufacturer Anker frequently finds its way into our product coverage due to the company's penchant for making affordably priced, reliable devices that don't sacrifice quality for cost. The Anker PowerLine+ Lightning cable is no different.

Several people in our editorial office swear by this sturdy, nylon-braided cable that offers both durability six feet of length for a moderately low cost (just $17 on Amazon right now).

A nifty feature of the PowerLine+ Lightning cable is the included pouch, which harbors a sturdy, velcro strap so users can keep the ideal amount of slack unraveled depending on setting and situation.

Although it's around $5 more than the nylon-braided AmazonBasics cable of the same length, the Anker PowerLine+ is a fantastic option for folks who're looking for a long cable with a built-to-last design.