3 Minutes Review - Lightning Cables

Went to pick up some new lightning cables for testing to identify which one will be good enough to be listed in our e-store.

Managed to get 3 brands: awei, Remax and Pisen.

This review will will be a short one, hoping its enough to provide adequate info for consideration when buying new cables.

---

Starting with the Remax, I would say this is one of the brand that offers consistency in the build quality. The RC-080i comes in few colours, but I took the gold colour for this review. Offering a maximum of 2.1A output, in my test on both iPhone 7 Plus and iPad Pro 9.7, this cable offers a consistent reading on the charging although it never reaches 2.1A despite using a quick charge power bank.

​Refer below for the test result.

On my iPhone 7 Plus, both reading shows a consistent reading of 1A and 0.97A. Do take note that iPhone 7 Plus does not support quick charge, hence, even with a quick charge powerbank and. 2.1A cable, it will still offer a 1A Power Input. Unless you are using a 10W or 12W Adapter, otherwise this will be the standard .

As for the iPad Pro 9.7, you will see a higher reading as the iPad able to draw more power from the powerbank during the charging process. Again, the reading is less than 2.1A since I am not using a 12W charger. But if we compare to the output, both offer a consistent reading.

My verdict 👍👍👍👍👍

1. ​Worth buying if you don’t mind an OEM cable without MFI certification.
2. Worth buying If you are planning to use it primarily on an iPhone.
3. Able to provide consistent charging output compared to some brands in the market ​ ​
4. Braided gold coated cable that offers both durability and aesthetic

---

The second brand I tested was the Pisen. Been a user of it’s Type C USB charger, I crossed my fingers and hope it’s as good as my current Type C cable.
Unfortunately, during my testing, the reading was inferior to the Remax, only comparable to the original Apple cable. For those who are using it purely for iPhones, then it shouldn’t poised to be any issues.

Comparing to the Remax, the Pisen offers about 30% lower output power to the iPhone & iPad Pro. But if you are using the higher voltage adapter such as the 12W iPad charger, it will able to offer a faster charging speed too. For those who prefer to charge their device overnight, this is a better option comparing to those fast charge cable.

My Verdict 👍👍👍👍

1. ​Good quality cable - thick and durable
2. Consistent output
3. Compatible with latest iOS 11.2.5
4. Shortfall - non MFI certified, slower charging speed ​

---

The last brand tested was the awei Fast Data Cable CL-988. This is the first time I come across this brand. It caught my interest with it's "Double Side USB interface", "Non-Destructive” and "Fast Charging” claims. Let see how it perform with the same test i did earlier.

In terms of consistency, this cable shows a 0.75A on the first attempt and on the second time, 1.05A. The difference of output was up to 30%. Combining the usage with a low quality power bank or charging adapter will probably increase the risk of damaging your device or even fire hazard. I’m not too sure if the difference will even be greater on continuous usage as I will not risk my device to that extent. If you are keen to try it, do let me know your findings.
For charging iPad, you might want to look for other brand instead. With 0.47A output, your iPad will prompt you that this accessory is not supported.
I am not sure if this is a branding issue or manufacturing defects or models issue, but one that I bought for testing surely doesn’t impress me. The tag line "Fast Charging” seems misleading here. Not to mentioned that only one side can be 100% compatible. The other side, it's 50% - 50%. At times it charge normally but sometimes it doesn't charge at all.

My Verdict 👎👎

1. ​Not recommended to use this due to the inconsistency of power output
2. Not compatible with iPad Pro usage.
3. With a similar price, you can get other brand which offer better quality​ ​

---

I hope this brief review will give you some insights on which brand to consider when getting a lightning cable. Unlike the normal MicroUSB cable, purchasing a lightning cable can be quite headache especially if you are not willing to pay for the MFI certified cables. Some brand works well at first but after some time, it no longer work anymore due to short circuited chip inside the cable. Some claim can be used on both side but in the end only 1 sided offer a consistent usage.
If you really want to prevent all these headaches, just pay more to get a MFI certified cables for the iPhone and iPad. The other day I saw Digi Centre selling Targus 2 pieces bundle pack selling at RM65 only. Not sure how good it is but at least it's MFI certified.

Cheers....

#apple #lightningcable #mfi #connect2u #blogsphere #chargingcable #iphone #ipadpro #remax #pisen #awei #productreview