Other available lengths: 3 feet

Who should get this: Someone who wants a great cable to charge their iPhone and other Lightning-powered devices as fast as possible.

Why it’s great: First and foremost, the Anker PowerLine II USB-C to Lightning Cable (6 feet) is great because it supports the fastest possible charging speeds. When paired with a USB-C port putting out at least 18 watts of power—like those in many of our favorite laptops, power banks, and wall chargers—the PowerLine II can charge an iPhone up to three times as fast as a USB-A–to–Lightning cable.

This cable is MFi-certified, so Apple has confirmed that it will perform optimally (in terms of charging and data transfer capabilities) with its devices. Lightning cables that lack this certification—such as the kind you might buy at a gas station—aren’t necessarily much cheaper, and you run the risk of experiencing slower charging or even damaging your devices.

The 3-foot version of this cable is slim and compact, and it can be coiled up small to fit in a pocket or purse. The 6-foot version is a bit bulkier when coiled up and so is better suited to a desktop or bedside charging setup.

The rubber sheath encasing the PowerLine II is smooth yet grippy, and quite durable—holding up after more than a year of daily wear and tear. The cable’s housings—the parts that connect the metal plugs to the body of the cable—are the sturdiest and most comfortable to grip of any we’ve tested. Made of a single piece of matte-textured rubber, the housings provide ample room to grasp the plug firmly while you’re plugging and unplugging, which is the best way to avoid fraying and breakage. When we plugged both ends of each cable into a variety of devices, we found that they stayed put, with minimal wiggling—ensuring a solid connection for charging and data transfer.

A nonessential, but no less valuable, component of this cable is the hook-and-loop tie it comes with. It’s convenient and easy to use, ensuring that the cable won’t come uncoiled inside your bag or become a tangled mess under your desk.

Both lengths come in either black or white, and the 6-foot version is also available in army green. At the time of this writing, they both cost less than their Apple counterparts. Plus, they’re backed by Anker’s lifetime warranty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Anker cable isn’t quite as slim as some others we tested, including Apple’s versions, and this is our one complaint. But since it’s still one of the most compact options and outdid the competition in every other way, we’re okay with a little extra bulk.