Braided Cables

A cable built to last longer

A braided cable has a woven outer jacket, usually nylon, over the wires, in place of a plain rubber or plastic one. The weave resists kinking, tangling and fraying, most of all near the plugs, where most cables fail from being bent every time the phone is picked up while it charges. Braided cables suit bags, cars, bedsides where the cable gets trodden on, and anyone who wraps the cable round their hand. Recent iPhones themselves come with a woven USB-C cable.

What is here

• A braided Lightning cable with metal plug housings and USB-A at the charger end, for iPhones from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 14 and several older iPads, in lengths from 25cm to 3m and a range of colours.
• A braided USB-A to USB-C cable for USB-C Android phones, in 1m, 2m and 3m and several colours.
• A double-braided USB-C to USB-C cable listed for 60W USB Power Delivery charging and 480Mbps data, in lengths from 1m to several metres.

Braided cables turn up in other ranges too, where their shape matters more: every one of the right-angle cables here is braided or woven, and so is the everyday cable in USB-C to USB-C cables.

Choosing the right one

Start with the plugs, not the jacket. Look at the phone: USB-C for iPhone 15 and later and most recent Android phones, Lightning for iPhones from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 14. Then look at the charger: USB-C on newer chargers, the rectangular USB-A on older ones, in cars and on laptops. Then choose the length along the route the cable will take, with a little slack. For fast charging a recent phone, a USB-C to USB-C cable on a USB PD charger is the quickest way; a USB-A cable charges well, but usually not at a phone's fastest.

Making any cable last

Braiding helps, but habits matter more. Pull the cable out by the plug, not the cable. Do not wrap it tightly round the charger, and do not bend it sharply at the plug while you use the phone. Run long cables along walls rather than across the floor, where they get trodden on and trapped in doors. A spiral cover or clip from cable organisers and protectors takes the strain off the neck.

Questions people ask about braided cables

Does braiding make a cable charge faster?

No. The jacket is for wear, not speed. The phone, the charger and the cable's rating set the speed; the guide to fast charging explains.

When should I replace a braided cable?

When it charges only at a certain angle, stops and starts, or the plug is loose, bent or warm. Samsung's advice is to stop using a cable with cracks or exposed wires at once.

More to look at

• USB-C to USB-C cables
• Lightning cables
• USB-A to USB-C cables
• Right-angle cables
• Long cables
• Cable organisers and protectors
• Guide: Which charging cable does my phone need?
• Guide: Fast charging explained: watts, USB Power Delivery and PPS