Lightning Cable for iPhone & iPad

Apple's lightning cable

At avXperten, we offer lightning cables from Apple of the absolute highest quality. Our customers should have the best products, and we help with that.

Lightning cables are used to charge, synchronize, and connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. You can easily take the cable anywhere, and one particularly smart aspect is that you can use Apple's lightning cables for a variety of different things.

Another cool feature is that the cable works no matter how you turn it, which effectively means you cannot insert it incorrectly.

You don't have to worry about bringing different cables for charging or transferring pictures, video, and sound from one device to another.

So you can use your lightning cable as an iPhone charging cable or iPad charging cable. With a USB cable for iPhone, you can transfer files from your iPhone to your computer.

What is a lightning cable?

Have you ever come across the term “Lightning cable” or “Lightning connector” without really knowing what kind of cable it is? Then you might not be the only one.

A lightning cable is a relatively new invention (the connector was first introduced back in 2012) developed by the tech giant Apple.

The cable was introduced in connection with the launch of Apple's iPhone 5, which was the first device compatible with the new connector. Since then, all iOS devices have been equipped with a lightning compatible port.

A lightning cable is the cable used for charging, connecting, and synchronizing an iOS device to a USB port, for example, a computer or charger.

Before the introduction of Apple's lightning cable, their iOS products were designed with a 30-pin connector. The disadvantage of this cable was that it could only be inserted in one way, and it was far from irrelevant which way the connector was facing. If the connector was turned the wrong way, it didn’t work.

This problem was solved by Apple with the introduction of the lightning cable. The connector has “only” 8 pins on each side, and unlike its predecessor, it does not matter which way the connector faces when you insert it into your device.

A lightning cable CANNOT be used for Android devices. If you are looking for a cable for an Android device, you should instead look for a micro USB cable that can be used for both charging and synchronizing Android devices.

There are both original lightning cables, thus cables produced and/or approved by Apple, as well as non-original ones, which are neither produced nor approved by Apple. The original cables are referred to as MFI (short for “Made For iPhone”) cables.

Cables that are not MFI certified are not necessarily compatible with your iOS device. This is because they do not have an original Apple chip that ensures the cable is compatible with Apple's devices.

MFI-certified lightning cables

Many consumers have been disappointed when they found a good deal on a cable that, according to the retailer, works with Apple products, but doesn’t actually work.

When you need an iPad cable, iPhone charging cable, iPad charging cable, USB cable for iPhone or another type of Apple cable, you should go for MFI-certified cables.

Even though it seems like you are making a good deal by buying products without this certification, you might end up wasting money.

Sometimes it happens that your Apple device cannot recognize the cable you have purchased, which is why it does not work with your iPad or iPhone.

The reason for this is that MFI lightning cables have a built-in Apple-approved chip in them, which guarantees that the cable works with other Apple products.

When others try to produce cheaper cables without a chip and MFI certification, the cables are not actually designed for Apple products. Therefore, they are not necessarily compatible with, for example, your iPhone.

Identifying MFI approved equipment

It is not always easy to identify whether equipment is certified or not. To ensure this, you need to closely examine the packaging. Approved equipment will always have the MFI logo on their packaging. The MFI logo looks like the following:

This is what the latest MFI logo looks like. Alternatively, equipment may also be equipped with an earlier version of the MFI logo. The earlier version looks like the following:

If you can find one of the above logos on your equipment's packaging, it means that the equipment is MFI certified. Thus it is certified and approved by Apple, which means you can safely use the equipment.

In addition to the logo being clearly illustrated on the packaging, it is also possible to distinguish original and non-original equipment on the cable itself. If the cable is made by Apple, it will say “Designed by Apple in California” followed by one of the following 3 phrases:

“Assembled in China”

“Assembled in Vietnam”

“Indústria Brasileira”

Note that a cable can still be MFI certified even if it does not display the above text. The text will only appear on the cable if it is produced by Apple.

Other approved manufacturers will usually have their own logo on the lightning cable instead.

Compare your equipment

There are countless different non-original lightning cables and other equipment. If you already own a piece of original equipment from Apple, such as a lightning cable, you can compare your original equipment with your new equipment.

For example, an original lightning cable will have:

• A smooth surface
• Rounded, smooth, gold or silver-colored connectors
• A fixed size of 7.7 x 12 mm
• Gray or metallic-colored insert

A non-original lightning cable, on the other hand, will often have the following:

• An uneven and inconsistent finish
• Connectors with edges and uneven surface
• Different widths, lengths, and thicknesses
• White or black insert

Practical lightning cables

Apple's lightning cables can also be used in the car if you have a USB car charger. Therefore, you are not dependent on having access to wall sockets when you need to charge your iPhone or iPad. As the cables are not particularly large, they are easy to take anywhere.

As more and more people use Apple's products, your friends, family, and colleagues can also benefit from you always having an Apple lightning cable on hand.

The smart 8 pin lightning cable

We carry the new hot 8 pin lightning cable from Apple. It's smaller and more handy than the original 30 pin cable.

If your iPhone or iPad is older, you can still enjoy all the benefits of using the 8 pin lightning cable with an adapter. The new connector is 80 percent smaller than the old one and much more robust.

Besides your iPhone, iPad, and iPod, various accessories also use lightning cables. This includes, among others, Apple Watch, Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard, and mouse and Siri remote for Apple TV.

With your Apple lightning cable, you can thus use most of your Apple devices without having to think about which cable fits what and how it should face. We want satisfied customers, and that is why we offer products that make your everyday life a little easier.

Quality and service at avXperten

At avXperten, we always keep an eye on the latest developments and trends in Apple products, which is why you can always find just the cable you are looking for with us. With us, you are always in safe hands.

We have a professional team that is here to guide you and help you find the right product. For all newer Apple devices, it is possible to use the 8 pin lightning cable to charge, transfer files, or connect devices.

If you have an older iPhone, iPad or iPod, you can use an adapter with the 8 pin lightning cable in your device, thus making it compatible with your newer Apple products or your Apple accessories.

When you are looking for cables, you are in safe hands at avXperten. You can read more about the various cables here on the page, and you are also always welcome to contact us for more information.
We look forward to helping you find the right cable.

Risks of using non-approved lightning cables

Lightning cables that are not MFI approved are often a bit cheaper than MFI approved cables. However, it is far from always a good investment to choose the cheapest solution.

The unapproved cables are often made from poor quality and have sometimes proven to be extremely unreliable. This is partly because factories that produce non-approved MFI cables are not subjected to any supervision or control by Apple. Therefore, the cables are not quality tested or approved by Apple.

Furthermore, this type of cable has also shown a tendency to get very hot and can sometimes be directly damaging to your phone. At the same time, as mentioned earlier, there is no guarantee that the cable is actually compatible with your Apple device.

Durability is also significantly worse for cables that are not MFI approved, which is also reflected in the price.

Which iPhones use the lightning cable? (Updated January 2019)

• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 6S Plus
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone 6S
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 5C
• iPhone 5S
• iPhone 5

Which iPads use the lightning cable? (Updated January 2019)

• iPad (2017)
• iPad Pro (10.5 inch)
• iPad Pro (12.9 inch)
• iPad Pro (9.7 inch)
• iPad Mini 4
• iPad Mini 3
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Air
• iPad Mini 2
• iPad Mini

Which lightning cable is best?

The obvious answer is of course that Apple produces the best lightning cables, as Apple itself has designed them.

However, this is not necessarily the case. Even though Apple's own lightning cables are the most expensive, they still tend to break relatively easily. This is despite the fact that Apple's own cables are naturally MFI certified.

Unfortunately, many people experience that the price and quality of Apple's own cables simply do not match. Therefore, you can make a good deal by exploring the market for alternatives.

However, this does not mean that you should choose a cable that is incredibly cheap and not MFI certified. Instead, we encourage you to buy an MFI certified lightning cable, which, despite not being produced by Apple itself, can often be made of better and more durable quality.

How to avoid wear on your lightning cable

Many find that their lightning cable breaks relatively quickly. This can be due to two things. One possibility is that the cable is simply bought too cheaply and is just not of better quality. The other possibility, which we will also describe in this section, is that one simply does not treat their cable properly.

One of the typical mistakes many make is simply yanking on the cable. There are very few lightning cables robust enough to withstand being pulled on. Therefore, you should always unplug your cable by holding the connector head when you need to remove your cable from a USB port.

Another thing to avoid is bending your cable. The more you bend your cable, the greater the chance of damaging it. There is no warranty covering cables that are damaged due to bending. Therefore, always try to keep the cable as straight as possible.

You should also avoid twisting your cable! The chip in a lightning cable is relatively fragile. Therefore, the cable cannot withstand being twisted free when you remove it from your phone.

Do not leave the cable lying around. Although this advice is quite obvious, many do not follow it. You can quickly trip or stumble over the cable, which can damage both you and your cable.

Like all other electronic equipment, a lightning cable and water are not exactly best friends. If it happens that your cable comes into contact with water, you should dry it as quickly as possible. A few hours of drying should suffice to repair minor water damage.