CES saw the first third-party USB-C to Lightning cables break cover from companies like Griffin and Belkin, and now popular purveyor of ion-stimulating apparatus Anker has confirmed it’s getting in on the game. The company claims (via 9to5Mac) that its Powerline cable will have “a bend lifespan of over 5 times higher than any other cable in the market,” while the Powerline+ will gain extra strength through an aluminum shell and braided nylon.
Anker is making USB-C to Lightning cables
Anker is also releasing a USB-C to female Lightning cable that’s primarily designed as an audio adapter, letting you use Lightning headphones with USB-C devices like the new iPad Pro or recent Apple laptops. The USB-C to Lightning cables will go on sale in March from $20.99 and the audio adapter will follow the next month with pricing TBC.
USB-C to Lightning cables can fast-charge recent iPhones when paired to a USB-C PD-compatible charger like Apple’s new 18W power adapter or Anker’s tiny Atom PD 1, which goes on sale tomorrow. Apple first released its own USB-C to Lightning cable back in early 2016 to enable fast-charging on the iPad Pro. It never sanctioned third-party versions, however, and three years later that original primary use case no longer even applies now that the iPad Pro doesn’t have a Lightning port. On the other hand, these cables can also now be used to charge an iPhone from an iPad Pro, so there’s that.
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