Shop by Cable Length

Cables by how far they reach

The cable that comes with a phone is usually about a metre long. That suits a desk or a worktop socket, and is too short for most other places. These pages gather the charging cables by length, so you can start from where the cable has to reach and then choose the plug and the kind.

A cable offered in several lengths is listed under each length it comes in, so the same cable can appear on more than one of these pages. Pick the length you want from the choices on its product page.

The four lengths

• Under 1m: keyring cables and short leads for a power bank in a pocket, a car, a desk charger or a bedside dock, where a long cable would only tangle.
• 1m to 1.5m: the everyday length for a desk, a kitchen and most rooms, and the length of many retractable and 3-in-1 cables.
• 2m: reaches from a wall socket to the bed or the sofa, so the phone can be used while it charges, and suits a socket low behind a bedside table.
• 3m and longer: for a socket far from the chair or behind furniture, with some cables offered at many metres.

Measuring for the right length

Measure rather than guess. Run a piece of string from the socket to where the phone will rest, along the route the cable will really take, round the bedside table and up onto the bed, then add a little slack so the plug is not pulled tight. A cable that only just reaches is a cable strained at the neck every night, and most cables fail just behind the plug. Too long has its own trouble: loops on the floor get trodden on and tangled, and a long cable is harder to pack for a trip.

Then check the plug at each end against the phone and the charger, which shop by connector sorts out, and the power rating if you fast charge. The guide to which charging cable your phone needs goes through lengths and plugs together.

Questions people ask about cable length

Does a longer cable charge more slowly?

Less than people expect at phone power. A very long, thin cable with no power rating is the one most likely to slow things down, so on a long cable look for a stated wattage or amps.

Why is one cable on several length pages?

Because it is offered in several lengths. It is one product; choose the length on its page.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when it usually arrives.

More to look at

• Short cables
• Long cables
• Retractable cables
• Braided cables
• Cable organisers and protectors
• Guide: Which charging cable does my phone need?