Both Monoprice and Amazon.com are now selling bargain-priced Lightning cables that work with the iPhone 5 and the new iPads, and the cables are MFi certified (Made for iPod, Made for iPhone, and Made for iPad), meaning Apple has approved them for use with their devices.
Monoprice:
Monoprice has 3 versions of the Lightning to USB cables:
- A regular 3-foot cable ($11.77)
- A regular 6-foot cable ($12.56)
- A “Slimfit” 3-foot cable ($12.73) where the connector heads are slightly slimmer that the regular version, and thus slightly more expensive (hoo-ahh!).
Of course, with Monoprice, the more you buy, the less they cost. Apple’s Lightning cable costs $19.99, so Monoprice saves you around $6-$8 per cable. Apple’s official cable is 3 feet 3 inches long, so if you ask me, the best deal is Monoprice’s 6-foot cable (although too much cable can be annoying in some situations).
Amazon:
Amazon is selling its Apple-certified AmazonBasics Lightning to USB Cable for $14.99 (Prime eligible), although it should be noted that Amazon is also discounting Apple’s official Lightning cable from $19.99 to $16.99 (at least they are when I’m logged into Amazon—they sometimes show different prices to different people).
It’s possible to find non-Apple-certified cables for even cheaper, but you’re rolling the dice with your expensive iPhone/iPad.
Both Monoprice and Amazon’s cables are black, while Apple’s official cable is apple-core white. Is it worth the few extra bucks to stay Apple white? Yes! I mean, No!
