If you’re anything like me, you probably have a drawer full of tangled cables. But despite owning multiple charging cables, the constant issue I had was juggling three or four cables to keep everything powered. It’s messy, frustrating, and has caught me off guard in multiple instances when I’m away but don’t have an appropriate cable to top up a certain device, whether it’s my phone, power bank, headphones, earbuds, or feature phone.
That’s why finding a cable that charges nearly everything I own felt like hitting the tech jackpot. Nowadays, I no longer rummage through drawers or carry a tangled mess in my backpack to ensure all my devices are charged when I need to.
The mess that got me here
Every device has its own cable
USB-C is fast becoming ubiquitous, and almost every new gadget that you buy has it. Whether it’s a monitor, a MacBook, a pair of headphones, or a power bank, you name it, almost all consumer electronic devices use a USB-C port these days. This is, of course, thanks to an EU mandate that forced companies to adopt USB-C for charging. That makes it easy to charge your devices with a single cable.
However, that future hasn’t arrived for me yet because not every device I use is the latest model on the market. My power bank is from 2020 or so, my headphones from 2021, a generic feature phone that I can’t remember when I bought, and so on.
As a result, they use different charging ports. My headphones, for example, use a USB-C port; my feature phone and power bank use the antiquated micro-USB port, and my iPhone still uses a Lightning port. That means there’s no way I can charge all these devices with one cable. Or so I thought. That was until I stumbled across a cable that managed to do it all.
The cable that changed everything
It charges them all
I didn’t think a simple charging cable could make such a difference—until I got my hands on a 3-in-1 charging cable. The one I use is a generic, no-name-brand cable. However, it works surprisingly well. In fact, it’s been over a year since I bought it, and I haven’t had an issue with it. It’s simplistic, yes, but it’s a versatile cable that works with every device I plug in. It comes with four heads — USB-A, micro-USB, USB-C, and Lightning — packed in a compact, tangle-free package that I’ve found to be durable, thanks to its flexible material that doesn’t fray after a few weeks of use.
The USB-A one is for plugging in a charging brick or directly into a power extension cord if you have one with USB-A ports, like Tessan’s 5-foot Surge Protector Flat Extension Cord. The other connectors are for charging any compatible device you may have. With just these three heads, this cable can charge all my devices. My iPhone, feature phone, earbuds, power bank, headphones, and even an older Android tablet all charge from this one cable. Now, when I’m on a day trip, I don’t need to pack different cables. I just grab my power bank and this cable, and I’m good.
And despite its no-name brand status, this cable is surprisingly fast when it comes to charging. With it, I can easily charge my 20,000 mAh power bank in a few hours with an 18W charging brick. I haven’t measured the exact charging speed this cable delivers, but from my experience using it over the last year, it’s no slouch.
You can solve your cable clutter, too
Get one cable for all your devices
You probably have multiple devices like I do, and not all of them will use the same port for charging. Fortunately, you don’t need to have a single cable for everything when you can get a multi-charging cable like mine.
The Anker Powerline II is a perfect option that comes with a 3-in-1 setup with three different connectors: micro-USB, USB-C, and Lightning. Idison’s Multi Charging Cable features a 3-in-1 setup similar to mine. Yet, it has a longer cable, which is a plus. Another good alternative is the Aioneus Multi Charging Cable, which comes with a similar setup.
If you don’t want to buy yet another cable to add to your drawer, a cheap adapter like the Jadebones adapter kit can fix your cable clutter. One thing to note when buying these multi-charging cables and adapter kits is the charging speeds — most don’t support fast charging. It might even say “fast charging” in the title, but a close look at the description will reveal otherwise. Therefore, before you decide to order one, make sure that you know what you’re getting.
I don’t have to carry multiple cables anymore
With just one cable, I don’t need a cable for every device I have. It might not transfer power at the fastest speeds, but this cable earned a permanent spot in my bag. If all your devices use USB-C, this isn’t a problem. But if you’re like me and need to charge different devices with different ports, a multi-charging cable is a must-have.