[Test Data]How we picked out the best USB-C charging cable

March 13 2023, by Cool Gadget, 22 min reading time

How we picked out the best USB-C charging cable? We purchased some of the more commonly used charging cables on the market and gave them the following tests. We came to the 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.)

Want to know on what basis we came to this conclusion? Read on together.

1. Quality of the charging cables 2. Percentage of battery charged in 30 minutes 3. Temperature during charging process 4. Speed of data transfer 5. Cable resistance test 6. Wire entanglement test 7. Summary of testing data

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.

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
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

With reference to the above data, there are 3 charging cables that have made our list of the best charging cables in 2023, they are

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.

See Product

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.

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.