Apple’s Beats brand has a habit of building its parent company with products that are slightly less restrictive, slightly smaller one-size to suit everyone, and a little more colorful, while still offering the same apple quality (and actually often the same exact technology).
Now there are official beats that charge cables, and frankly, I probably will never buy an apple mark again.
A single beats cable costs the same as Apple ($ 19 for a single USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-A to USB-C cable or USB-C for Lightning cable) and they have the same specifications: USB 2.0 Data Transfer Speed, charge up to 60W. They are probably identical inside. But they are better in three significant ways.
First they come in color. Apple’s basic charging cables are only white. The Beats cables come in black, navy blue, red and a kind of sandstone color. Color is good! (However, some colors are not available in some cable types.) Secondly, they are longer. Apple’s $ 19 cable is 1 meter (39.5 inches). The Beats cable is 1.5 meters (59 inches). It makes a big difference.
Foundry
Finally, they are probably a little more reliable. Both cables are braided, which is nice, but the apple cable goes straight from the plug to the cable, while the beats cable has a small half-inch sleeve. This should help prevent it from bending too sharply right next to the plug, which is a primary cause of cables that divide over time.
Foundry
The Beats cables differ in a few other ways. First, you can get USB-C to USB-C or USB-A to USB-C cables in a two-pack for $ 35 (but only in black). Apple-branded cables are only sold separately.
Also only available in black is neat small 20 cm (8 inches) short cables, in USB-A to USB-C, USB-C to USB-C and USB-C for Lightning. They are still $ 19 despite the small length, but if you connect a battery pack or portable drive a lot (especially inside a backpack or purse), a very short cable can really reduce the mess.
The apple-branded cables still have their place. If you want really high power charging support for your laptop, you will step up to Apple’s 240W cable. Or if you move lots of data between a fast external drive and your Mac, you will have a Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 cable. These new beats cables do not cover any of this soil.
But if all you really need is a good USB cable for charging your iPhone, iPad, MacBook or headphones and maybe by moving around in a bit of data and you don’t trust third-party cables (of which there is So many), grab the beats cable over the apple-branded. You can even grab them in the Apple Store.