If you’re an Apple user, you’ll most likely have a few devices that still have a Lightning port. My first generation AirPods Pro still use Lightning as does my 10.5” iPad Pro.
And if you have an iPhone 14 or earlier they’ll be lightning too. In my household we still have several iPhone 11’s and an iPhone 12, all with legacy Lightning ports.
Apple has finally switched to the ubiquitous USB-C for their more recent devices, and pretty much any bit of modern tech you buy now has USB-C. But if your older Apple devices are still working fine, there’s no reason to upgrade just to get a USB-C port.
With a capable portable charger or wall charger, you can fast charge these previous generation iPhones and iPads, but you’ll need a USB-C to Lightning cable and these aren’t cheap – especially genuine Apple ones. And more importantly it’s awkward having to always carry one of these cables just for your older Apple devices.
These inexpensive USB-C to Lightning adapters off Amazon attach to any USB-C cable and let you quickly switch between Lightning and USB-C in seconds. They only weigh a few grams and come with a lanyard that slips onto your USB-C cable so you’ve always got it with you. What’s more they still support fast charging, just like an original Apple USB-C to Lightning cable.
Charging my iPad Pro which supports fast charging at up to 30W I get similar results using my genuine Apple USB-C to Lightning cable and one of these cheap adapters. I checked charging speeds using this USB analyser and my Anker Prime 2650mAh portable charger that supports USB Power Delivery up to 140W. Using both the Apple cable and the adapter the voltage jumped up to 15V and I got up to 2A, or between 25 and 30W.
Using an old-style USB-A to Lightning cable you’ll be limited to slow charging at only 12W.
With the latest iOS 18, your smartphone will tell you it’s slow charging.
If I then switch to using this adapter with a USB-C cable, you can see it now charging at full speed.
I tested the adapter with multiple USB-C Power Delivery chargers and cables and it worked perfectly.
One of my favourite chargers is the Anker Nano which I usually carry with me. It’s only 30W, but it’ll still fast charge many devices including my smartphone, tablet and drones and it has an integrated cable which means you’ve always got a cable to hand. And it still has a USB-C port and USB-A port.
I did have to get a little creative storing the adapter though, but it works fine – you just need to detach it from the lanyard to make it easier to use in some instances.
Nothing is perfect and the adapter does double the size of your connector which can be a little cumbersome. I’d like to see a right angle version, which would help. I did also have one adapter that stopped working after a few months which isn’t great, so maybe also carry a spare if this will be your only charging option.
Probably the biggest issue to be aware of, is these adapters do have electronics inside them that consume a small amount of power. So don’t leave them connected to your portable battery packs. I measured their idle use at just over 0.2W. So if you left it connected to this Anker Nano fully charged, you’d completely drain its 36Wh battery in just over a week.
I tried some other adapters too, including this one with a built-in display that shows exactly what speed you’re charging at. So you can check if your device is in fact fast charging. It’s a little larger, and doesn’t include a lanyard, but it didn’t draw more power than the basic adapter and its power measurement was pretty accurate too.
Overall I’d say these adapters are an almost essential purchase for most Apple users. I have them on the end of several USB-C cables around the house, and carry a few with me when I’m out and about.
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The links below are affiliate links which may earn me a small amount of commission:
USB-C to Lightning adapter: https://amzn.to/40ENNoG
USB-C to Lightning adapter with display: https://amzn.to/3EhpRjM
Anker Nano (the perfect portable charger to use with these adapters): https://amzn.to/4heEFOO
Anker Prime 140W portable charger: https://amzn.to/3EhpW74
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