Any iPhone 5s chargers/cables not garbage?

[IamDavid]

I've replaced my 4 daughters cords/charges multiple times over the past 8 months and haven't found a single reliable one. OEM, cheap ones, expensive ones, all quit working rather quickly. I know a lot of the problem is probably them being rough on them but we never had this type on problem with Android or WP's.

Anyone have a good brand to try out?

 

[Eug]

Haven't had a problem with any of my OEM chargers. The cheap ones die quickly though, or else don't charge reliably.

Cables are more prone to wear though. However, I've had cheap non-certified ones break within days. The MFi last much longer.

If they are young enough to get an allowance, tell them that new cables will come out of their allowance. Maybe they'll be more gentle with them then.

 

[TheStu]

Yea, at this point this sounds like user error. I've had the same OEM lightning cables since I bought my iPhone 5, and none of them have had any issues.

 

[biostud]

You don't have wireless charging on iPhone?

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/12/14/roundup-wireless-charging-options-for-apples-iphone

 

[bearxor]

I've replaced my 4 daughters cords/charges multiple times over the past 8 months and haven't found a single reliable one. OEM, cheap ones, expensive ones, all quit working rather quickly. I know a lot of the problem is probably them being rough on them but we never had this type on problem with Android or WP's.

Anyone have a good brand to try out?

You know those cables that come with the phones are covered under warranty, right? If it stops working, Apple will switch you out.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Maybe time to buy some official cables from Apple. Though so far I've never needed to do anything that crazy. I use Monoprice's Apple cables and chargers and haven't had any problems. Though ironically the Monoprice Lightning cable doesn't quite fit the Monoprice iPhone 5C case because their lightning cables are a bit thicker at the ends than normal.

 

[sgrinavi]

I've had OEM cables since launch day that still work well, the non-OEM ones either don't last very long or are rejected by the device after a few uses. It's an effin pain in the butt.

 

[PricklyPete]

I've had OEM cables since launch day that still work well, the non-OEM ones either don't last very long or are rejected by the device after a few uses. It's an effin pain in the butt.

This. Still using OEM cables for almost 2 years now.

 

[JAG87]

I'm still completely baffled that people will drop $700+ on a device (or commit to paying that much across 2 years, which is the same thing) and then are too cheap to spend $20 for a cable that is vital for it's functionality. And besides that, Apple's cables are covered by a 1 year warranty, as long as it doesn't look like your dog ate and barfed it out.

 

[Kaido]

You don't have wireless charging on iPhone?

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/12/14/roundup-wireless-charging-options-for-apples-iphone

I have wireless charging on my iPhone 5S, works great! It's a bit slower to charge than a direct cable though. The case is $17:

http://www.amazon.com/YIPIN-Standard...dp/B00F95E944/

The charger is $25:

http://www.amazon.com/UPGRADED-Wirel...dp/B00C40OG22/

I have one at work, at home, and in the center console of my car. Wireless charging FTW :thumbsup:

 

[Kaido]

I'm still completely baffled that people will drop $700+ on a device (or commit to paying that much across 2 years, which is the same thing) and then are too cheap to spend $20 for a cable that is vital for it's functionality. And besides that, Apple's cables are covered by a 1 year warranty, as long as it doesn't look like your dog ate and barfed it out.

Someone made an online comic about that not too long ago...

Starbucks: "That'll be $7" "OK!"

Apple: "This really great app is 99 cents" "No way I'm paying that, are you nuts?!"

:biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

I've replaced my 4 daughters cords/charges multiple times over the past 8 months and haven't found a single reliable one. OEM, cheap ones, expensive ones, all quit working rather quickly. I know a lot of the problem is probably them being rough on them but we never had this type on problem with Android or WP's.

Anyone have a good brand to try out?

I've had these for a week with good results so far:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K598TNG/

$14 shipped for 10 Lightning cables. Mediocre reviews, but if one breaks, I'll just use another one

 

[Phynaz]

Stick with MFi cables.

 

[Eug]

Yeah, I too wonder about the logic about spending $700 or whatever on a phone, and then getting garbage Lightning cables, esp. when you know they are rated mediocrely. You can get MFi cables for $10-15, and it's not as if you usually need 5 or 10 of them.

 

[Red Storm]

I've had zero issues with any cables for Android or iOS devices.

Your daughters need to be less rough with them, and you really only need to handle with care where the connector is.

 

[Imp]

Your daughters need to be less rough with them, and you really only need to handle with care where the connector is.

Replaced multiple times, so each one lasts barely a few months?

Are the cords fraying, transformers cracking, prongs breaking?

 

[Zaap]

After several failures with 3rd party, my wife finally gave up and just bought cables from Apple.

I love how some argue that this is such an awesome design.

Somehow "So awesome that only ONE source can make it correctly and consistently" isn't high on my list of what's actually "awesome design" but whatever.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

After several failures with 3rd party, my wife finally gave up and just bought cables from Apple.

I love how some argue that this is such an awesome design.

Somehow "So awesome that only ONE source can make it correctly and consistently" isn't high on my list of what's actually "awesome design" but whatever.

The connector is certainly a better design than having a latching pins like Micro USB or the old 30 pin connectors.

The second point doesn't suggest a design issue but a manufacturing issue.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

The OEM ones from Apple suck. The wiring frays faster than any other cable I've ever had.

I might try the Amazon ones next.

 

[Zaap]

The connector is certainly a better design than having a latching pins like Micro USB or the old 30 pin connectors.

The second point doesn't suggest a design issue but a manufacturing issue.

Whatever floats people's boat. I much prefer a cable that just about any manufacuturer can turn out perfectly and sell to me for so cheap the cables practically rain from the skies vs. some "better designed" cable thats a more expensive hit and miss.

If a design can't be manufactured properly across the board by *everyone* supposedly able to manufacure and sell it... that's not my idea of a great design, just the opposite.

 

[IamDavid]

Thanks everyone. Like I said, its probably user error even though we never had this issue in the past with regular micro usb chargers for Android and WP's. I did buy new Apple ones the first replacement round, then tried a combination of cheap to expensive ones from Amazon and Monoprice.

I had no idea the cables were covered under warranty. Apple is gonna love me...
None of the cable show signs of abuse of damage. The only questionable area is right where the cord and the phone connection end meets. It kinda bulge up?

 

[lucifermax]

http://www.cnet.com/products/aukey-aipower-quad-port-usb-car-charger/

 

[jpeyton]

The only questionable area is right where the cord and the phone connection end meets. It kinda bulge up?

Bingo. Another case of Apple's brilliant design decision to eliminate strain relief in their cables to make them "prettier".

It also makes them a lot less durable, which in turn increases sales of replacement cables (as the OP can attest to).

http://www.thewire.com/technology/2012/07/why-apples-power-cords-keep-breaking/55202/

Now it just so happens that the Industrial Design department hate how a strain relief looks on a power adapter. They would much prefer to have a nice clean transition between the cable and the plug. Aesthetically, this does look nicer, but from an engineering point of view, it's pretty much committing reliability suicide. Because there is no strain relief, the cables fail at a very high rate because they get bent at very harsh angles. I'm sure that the Engineering division gave every reason in the world why a strain relief should be on an adapter cable, and Customer Service said how bad the customer experience would be if tons of adapters failed, but if industrial design doesn't like a strain relief, guess what, it gets removed.

Meanwhile, my $0.99 Monoprice micro-USB cables have industrial-strength strain relief. I bought 10 of them for half the price of a Lightning cable and zero have failed. They get heavy use, charging everything from phones/tablets to mice/keyboards.