Ultimate Review! Which one is the best charging cable for your in 2023?
Posted by COOL GADGET
Have you ever had a bunch of cables around the house to charge the devices with different interfaces, but failed to find out the right charging cable? And have you ever brought the wrong or not enough charging cables when you traveled or went on a business trip? It's really an annoying problem. Now some products combine three types of interface with multi-purposes, which are available to different kinds of devices. By testing different cables, Cool Lab has come up with the best four-in-one charging cables for 2023. Let's take a look.
Why you should trust us?
Cool Lab aims to serve the users and conduct the evaluation from the perspective of users. The products can be tested by engineers from different professions with different professional tools in well-equipped laboratories for product testing. As for evaluation, we are professional.
We have conducted a lot of market research and analysis on what a good charging cable is. Meanwhile, as there are more and more charging devices emerging on the market, it becomes more difficult to charge different devices. Therefore, we have noticed that it is necessary and convenient to have the many-in-one charging cable, and focused on the research of such kind of charging cable.
Tips for selecting a charging cable
| ①Quality of the charging cable. A charging cable with high quality shall fully take the scenarios of use and storage into consideration. The considerate design for the charging cable will greatly avoid entanglement and interface damage and help to extend the service life. |
②Charging speed. It is essential for a good charging cable to provide more charging capacity in a shorter time. And the speed makes charging faster without too much waiting time. |
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③Charging purpose. To meet the diversity of the current electronic devices, it is also necessary for a good charging cable to have multiple interfaces for the charging requirements of one-to-many. The users can enjoy the charging freely with only one cable. |
④The appearance of charging cable. High-standard raw materials can not only enable the user to have a good sense of touch to the charging cable and improve the comfort, but also fully satisfy the users' requirements for the high quality in daily life without overlooking any details. |
Our top choice: Cool Gadget four-in-one charging cable
Cool Gadget four-in-one charging cable
60w four-in-one fast charging cable
The four-in-one charging cable is available to charge multiple devices without any trouble in finding the charging cables.
It combines the 3 interfaces(Apple Lightning, Type-C, and Type-A) to meet the one-to-many requirement, and it can connect most smartphones, tablets, iPhones, iPads, Samsung, HTC, and other electronic products, as well as earphones and power banks.
It is also compatible with the charging interfaces and data transmission of the common electronic products on the market.
The advantages are as follows:
- Fast charging speed: up to 60W fast charging, 480mbps high-speed data transmission, charging transmission in one.
- Being used widely: available to many devices, downward for being compatible with different power, and meeting the requirement of one-to-many.
- Delicate charging interface: aluminum alloy shell &TPE rotating shaft, firmly connected, and not easy to break: 18K gold-plated interface, matte plating, and rust oxidation resistance.
- High flexible charging rope: 1.5m long; Nylon woven line+TPE high flexible core, not easy to wind; wear resistant, bending resistant, not easy to damage; bandage for being easily folded and stored when not in use.
- Unique and durable interface: three interfaces and four combinations. The hidden interface can be easily pulled out for the interface conversion. It will not be easily broken and damaged with frequent use. It also can be switched freely without jamming.
Minor disadvantages:
- Woven material: it will cause trouble in the production. The woven line may be scratched when it is hooked by barbs.
- Interface connection: the interface may get loose or aging after being used for a long time.
Second choice
Ugreen three-in-one charging cable
The charging cable with three interfaces that can be freely switched
This kind of three-in-one charging cable can freely switch among the interfaces of Apple/Android/Type-c to meet the charging needs of different mobile phones with the maximum current of 2.4A. Fast charge without waiting.
The wire adopts the multi-layer shielding of thick tinned copper wire core, aluminum foil and metal braid to make charging more stable. What's more, it also has obtained Apple MFI certification. With the new Apple original C89 terminal, it is tight and not easy to get loose, and can be charged with a shell.
The speed of data transmission is also extremely fast, with charging-transmission in one.
Note: As there is no type-c power supply interface for this kind of charging cable, the charging speed will be slow without PD fast charging. And the connection of the adapter is tiny and easy to break.
Also amazing
Anker skin-friendly charging cable
The special fast-charging cable for Apple
If you are an Apple user only in need of powering the Apple device, this kind of charging cable will be a good choice for you. This charging cable has obtained Apple's official MFI certification with guaranteed quality, and is available to the iOS system.
The line material is made of the silicone with food-contact grade, which is soft and smooth, easy to rebound without winding. Meanwhile, many colors are available, and the charging cable can also become your fashion icon.
Conclusion
If you have an Apple device, an Android standby machine, or a laptop in need of fast charging, just take this Cool Lab 4-in-1 charging cable when you go out; a must-have for a business trip or travel.
If you are in need of a charging cable with Apple MFI certification but no PD fast charging, as well as powering the old micro usb interface, Ugreen 3-in-1 charging cable will be a good choice for you.
If you only have Apple devices and are in need of fast charging, please buy Anker skin-friendly charging cable. (Officially certified by Apple, the products are sold in the AppleStore and Apple's official direct stores.)
How to choose
We attach great importance to user research. According to the user evaluation of the charging cable on the market, we have found out the indicators the users are most concerned about: charging speed, many-in-one, and quality.
Therefore, when picking, we shall focus the evaluation on the charging cable with multi-function and compatibility with multiple devices. Secondly, we shall further screen through the dimensions of maximum charging power, maximum current, and special chips or not.
In addition, in order to improve the user’s experience, we will also study the common materials of charging cables on the market and strive to pick out a charging cable with the best sense of touch and quality.
How we test
We purchased some of the more commonly used charging cables on the market and gave them the following tests.
- Quality of the charging cables
- Percentage of battery charged in 30 minutes
- The temperature during the charging process
- Speed of data transfer
- Cable resistance test
- Wire entanglement test
1. Quality of the charging cables
Dimension 1: Material
[Testing Method] Observe the material composition, compare the cables and judge the material composition.
PS： Generally, TPE cables have a matte surface effect, a soft and elastic texture, and no odor; while PVC cables have a glossy surface and a rigid texture, especially in environments with lower temperature, the tactile difference is more obvious; there is also a material composed of woven cables, with rough texture for lower quality ones and very smooth for higher quality ones; in addition, there is a rare liquid silicone material, which has a smooth touch and no odor. However, if it is a fake and inferior liquid silicone, it will mostly have a pungent smell.
Material Name |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
PVC |
-Relatively cheap - Smooth surface with good thermoplasticity |
- Not resistant to dirt, with a rigid texture, especially in the cold winter, it can easily be broken if mishandled |
TPE |
- Good flexibility and a more delicate texture - Better durability than PVC - Mature manufacturing process, moderate pricing |
- Not resistant to dirt |
Liquid silicone |
-Durable, safe, easy to clean - Good flexibility, recover easily to its normal shape after being coiled - Stable chemical properties and good wear resistance |
- Relatively expensive |
Braided wire |
- Sturdy, wear-resistant, not easy to bend and tangle - Resistant to dirt and easy to organize |
- Complicated manufacturing process, high price point - Prone to snagging on sharp objects and may be pilled into a wire |
Dimension 2: Length
[Testing Method] Measure the length of the cable using a measuring tape (starting from the cable body)
Dimension 3: Weight
[Testing Method] Place the charging cable on an electronic scale
Dimension 4: Cable structure
[Testing Method] Use a wire stripping tool to open the cable and check the composition of the cable structure；
PS: Samples with good structure and sufficient materials usually use a structure of "tinned copper core + ground wire + aluminum foil + metal braided mesh + tensile wire"
Cable structure | |||||
Metal braided mesh |
Aluminum foil shielding layer |
Tensile wire |
Ground wire |
Copper core |
|
Star wars 4-in-1 charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Bare copper wire |
Ugreen 3-in-1 charging cable |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Youdang 6-in-1 charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Anker charging cable |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
WAITU charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Pisen 3-in-1 charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Digital wolf 3-in-1 |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Youjun 3-in-1 |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Youjin retractable 3-in-1 |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
Copper-clad aluminum |
Dimension 5: Connector
[Testing Method] Use a wire cutter to open up the connector and inspect its components；
PS: The connector of a charging cable generally consists of a plastic shell, internal metal sleeve, PCB board, and the connector itself.
Cable structure | |||||
Metal braided mesh |
Aluminum foil shielding layer |
Tensile wire |
Ground wire |
Copper core |
|
Star wars 4-in-1 charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Bare copper wire |
Ugreen 3-in-1 charging cable |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Youdang 6-in-1 charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Anker charging cable |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
WAITU charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Pisen 3-in-1 charging cable |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Digital wolf 3-in-1 |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Youjun 3-in-1 |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Tin-plated copper |
Youjin retractable 3-in-1 |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
Copper-clad aluminum |
2. Percentage of battery charged in 30 minutes
[Testing method]
Step 1. Use an iPhone 14 Pro and an original Apple 20W charger for charging. (Some charging cables do not have a Type-C power supply interface and cannot be connected to the Apple charger. In that case, other 20W chargers are used for testing.)；
Step 2. When the phone battery is at 20%, record the amount of charge each charging cable has delivered to the phone after 0.5 hours of charging. (After charging, subtract the original 20% battery level from the final displayed level on the phone.)
3. Temperature during charging process
[Testing method]
Step 1. Charge the phone using the method described in the previous section for measuring charging speed, and during the charging process use a temperature gun to measure the temperature of the charging cable, charging head, and phone separately；
Step 2. Record the highest temperature reached by the charging cable, charging head, and phone during the charging process.
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4. Speed of data transfer
[Testing Method]
Step 1. Connect the charging cable to both a laptop and an SSD that supports data transfer.
Step 2. Use Disk Speed Test on the computer to test the data transfer speed and determine the speed of the charging cable's transmission.
Note: In order to verify the accuracy of the software, we compared it with the computer's built-in speed tester and got the same results. (The Anker charging cable could not be tested for transfer speed as the mobile hard disk does not have a Lightning interface. The transfer function of the Pisen and Youjun three-in-one cables could not be detected.)
5. Cable resistance test
[Testing Method]
Step 1. Use a fixed charging head and connect it to a dedicated line resistance tester via a USB to Type-C interface on the charging cable.
Step 2. Observe the display screen and record the resistance readings. Test five times, remove the highest and lowest values, and take the average.
PS: The smaller the line resistance, the more current that can pass through in the same amount of time. The smaller the resistance, the lower the loss and the less heat generated.
Note: The Anker charging cable cannot be tested for line resistance as the resistance tester does not have a Lightning interface.
6. Wire entanglement test
[Testing method]
Step 1. Rub the charging cable together and observe the entangling situation of the cable;
Step 2. Test the ease of untangling the charging cable.
Product name |
Degree of wire entanglement |
Star Wars 4-in-1 charging cable |
Non-tangled |
Ugreen 3-in-1 charging cable |
Tangled slightly |
Youdang 6-in-1 charging cable |
Non-tangled |
Anker charging cable |
Non-tangled |
WAITU charging cable |
Non-tangled |
Pisen 3-in-1 charging cable |
Non-tangled |
Digital wolf 3-in-1 |
Tangled easily |
Youjun 3-in-1 |
Non-tangled |
Youjun retractable 3-in-1 |
Non-tangled |
7. Summary of testing data
Tips: How to keep and maintain the charging cable
The charging cable produced by the regular manufacturers are usually subject to the professional design and test to guarantee the durability and safety. However, the incorrect use will cause damage to the charging cable or reduce its service life. What should be noted about the use of charging cable?
- Correct way of inserting and plugging: as the structure of the charging interface is tiny, the excessive force or skew angle in inserting and plugging may cause damage to the charger or interface. The correct way is to hold the end of the connector stably and insert it without dragging the cable.
- Keep away from heat: the charging cable is usually made of metal and various insulating or protective materials, such as plastic and textile, and also includes some fine electronic components. When used at high temperatures, it is easy to cause material aging or direct damage to the cable.
- Daily cleaning and maintenance: the pollutants such as juice or oil stains attached to the material surface for a long time, are easy to corrode or cause aging to the material. Please use a wet and soft cloth or a non-alcoholic wet towel to clean the charger. No organic solvents like alcohol are allowed for cleaning.
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