Buying charging cables online from third-party accessory manufacturers is usually a bet on quality, but this time, it paid off. I was impressed with the quality of the nylon-braided Mcdodo's Lighting Cable, which also comes in two other versions: Micro-USB and USB Type-C.
Quick specs
- Max 2.4V voltage
- Angled connector
I bought the Lightning version to replace my old Amazon Basics braided cables that were fraying at the end. I had originally gotten the Amazon cables thinking that the braided versions would be tougher, and technically they were. The non-braided cables tend to break anywhere along the cable once the plastic loses its elasticity and starts peeling.
However, while the braided versions are more rugged and don't break as easy along the line of the cable, the stress failure point is now located at the end, where the cable meets the connector. Most of my braided cables tend to break there. The Mcdodo cable solves this by angling both ends at at 90 degrees angle, so you don't bend the cables as much when using your phone in landscape mode to game or when watching videos.
Gamers will love that the cable gets out of your way when playing. There's still some bend when using it in portrait mode though. There's also a LED light at the connector end to help you find the tip and your phone in the dark. I did find it a bit irritating at night if you fall asleep with the light pointing at your eyes thought. The light only shines through on one side though, so you can flip the cable around to hide it.
The Mcdodo cable comes with a starting price of $5.26 on Lazada, and features three different lengths: 0.5 m, 1.2 m, and 1.8 m. The longest cable is just $6.06, which is incredibly cheap. Do note that the starting prices for the different versions of the cable are different — with Lightning the cheapest.
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