We check out Xiaomi’s Lightning Cable
Lighting cables. It’s one of the biggest hassles to owning an iPhone. While the rest of Apple’s stuff are marvelously engineered pieces of metal, glass and plastic that were designed by the best engineers in the world, the cables that charge and power them are fragile, expensive pieces of twisted plastic copper, ready to tear off at a moment’s notice. Anybody who has owned an i-device that uses Apple’s Lightning cables for a while can attest to their non-existent durability.
(image via http://www.eluniverso.com/)
That’s why Xiaomi, along with hundreds, even thousands, of Chinese companies make aftermarket Lightning cables to replace the terribad ones made by Apple. But Xiaomi’s Lightning cables are quite different – it’s made with quality in mind, and as you’ll see in our tests with it, it performs pretty much like Apple’s own cable.
The overall look and feel of Xiaomi’s offering mimics the offering of Apple. The finish, texture and dimensions of the cable and the lighting pin makes it a dead ringer for Apple’s own cable. The only difference externally is the rubber cover that connects the wire to the USB plug is slightly different. That, and the overall shorter length of Xiaomi’s offering are the only ways to spot if it’s made by Xiaomi.
Xiaomi’s lightning cable is almost the same as Apple’s offering when it comes to output: Xiaomi’s cable is rated at 0.95 amperes while running at 5.03 volts when connected to an iPhone 6 and an original Apple charger for 20 minutes, which is the same reading we got when we swapped it out for Apple’s cable during the same length of time. When connected to a 5000mAh powerbank (also made by Xiaomi), Xiaomi’s cable gave us 0.95 amperes at 4.94 volts for 20 minutes, which is close to Apple’s cable reading of 0.95 amperes and 4.95 volts.
While the cable hasn’t been with us for a long time, it’s not hard to see why you’d prefer to get Xiaomi’s offering: at just RMB 39 (or Php 290) it’s way, way cheaper compared to the Php 1190 sticker price for a legit, Apple Lightning cable that seems to be programmed to self destruct after a few months.
