Anker’s charging cables have always been some of my favorite gadget accessories. Particularly the company’s nylon-braided cables, which are tough and don’t easily tangle, and they come in several colors other than white or black. It’s a little thing, I know, but having a unique-looking charging cable is a big deal for me. It means you don’t have to ask your mate, “Is this your Lightning cable or mine?”
Up to this point, Anker has been pretty “cookie cutter” when it comes to its charging cables — it’s never made a two-in-one charging cable like these by Mophie and AmazonBasics. But that’s all in the past. Anker recently announced the not two but three-in-one Anker PowerLine II cable. It combines all the most popular connectors — Lightning, USB-C and micro-USB — in one convenient cable.
If you’ve never owned one of these multi-purpose cables, I seriously suggest you do so — especially if you travel often — as it’s super convenient. Anker’s new PowerLine II, for example, can charge pretty much all of your devices: iPhone or Android smartphone, AirPods, iPad, noise-canceling headphones (such as the Bose QC35 II), compact camera, Nintendo Switch and your portable power bank. The cable is MFi-certified by Apple, so you know it’ll work just as well as any Lightning cable you buy from Apple.
Unfortunately, Anker’s PowerLine II doesn’t come with a nylon-braided cable. Nor is it available in colors other than white or black. Still, the rubberized cable is very durable, so much so that Anker has promised a lifetime warranty on the product. The other thing is that Anker’s PowerLine II (3-foot) only costs $15, which is a far better deal than the $19 single-purpose Lightning cable (3.2-feet) that’s available on Apple.com.
If I had to nitpick, I wish Anker’s charging cable had a USB-C adapter on its other end instead of USB-A. That way it could support faster charging. But for just $15, this is still an awesome deal. If your current Lightning, micro-USB, USB-C cable is on the fritz, this is the charging cable I would recommend buying next.
