3 Cheap USB-C Cables That Are High Quality, According To Consumer Reports

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USB-C cables are a dime a dozen these days. You can get them in almost any length and color you want, at many different price points. But despite all that, not all of them are made equally. The cables may all serve the same general function, yes, even if not all USB-C cables are the same, but quality and durability can vary wildly, especially at the more affordable end of the spectrum.

The question, then, is which USB-C cables to go for if you're in search of an affordable yet durable cable that won't fail when you need it most? After all, a faulty USB cable can cause all manner of headaches, be it Android Auto not connecting via USB or computer peripherals not functioning properly. Is it the end of the world? No. But it can be annoying.

Thankfully, Consumer Reports is ready to help. The non-profit organization tested a selection of USB Type-A to USB-C cables, putting them through bend and twist tests. Here are the best ones from those it tested.

Amazon sells all manner of goods via its in-house AmazonBasics label, and USB cables are no exception. And much like the AmazonBasics HDMI cable that we consider one of the best ones available, the e-commerce giant's own-brand USB-A to USB-C cable is also a winner according to Consumer Reports.

This cable, which is a 480 Mbps USB 2.0 cable, significantly outlasted every other USB cable in CR's testing, proving to be similarly durable to Apple's Lightning to USB-C cable. The difference, of course, is that the AmazonBasics USB-A to USB-C cable is cheap as chips; you can get a 6-foot cable for under $4.50 at the time of writing, with 3-foot cables under $4.00. They're available in single, two-pack, and five-pack options, as well as a 120-pack for those of you who need to equip a whole school or some such.

As with most USB 2.0 cables, the AmazonBasics cable also supports fast charging, although it's limited to 15W. That's admittedly not enough to max out even the relatively slow-charging Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, but it's something, at least. The issue, if there is one, is that Amazon only offers a one-year warranty for its AmazonBasics cable. We don't think you'll need it, given its durability in CR's testing, but we felt it was worth pointing out. It's also only available in 3- and 6-foot lengths, so those of you who need a longer cable will need to look elsewhere.

Amazon's AmazonBasics USB-A to USB-C cable is cheap, but this Anker USB-A to USB-C cable looks to have even that ultra-affordable cable beat — in the price stakes, at least. Anker, which is one of the best major power bank brands operating right now, only sells this USB cable in packs of two, and at the time of writing, you can get a two-pack of 6-foot cables for $7.00 or so, depending on the color. That's cheap, even as far as cheap USB cables go.

However, this cable isn't quite as dependable as the AmazonBasics cable. It was about half as durable as the AmazonBasics cable in CR's ultra-punishing bend test. Despite not necessarily being confidence-inspiring on paper, it still performed well enough to last a few years of use by CR's estimation, though. Anker itself claims that the cable endured 10,000 bends in its internal lab testing.

One advantage of the Anker cable is that it's also available in a 10-foot length. It also has a woven jacket, which, while not to everyone's taste, will very likely appeal to some of you reading this. It also has a longer two-year warranty. Performance-wise, though, it's nothing out of the ordinary: USB 2.0, 480 Mbps, and 15W fast charging. You've seen this all before... just maybe not with this combination of price and durability.

Belkin should be a familiar name to most of our readers, likely for being one of the best power strip manufacturers out there. However, the company also has a reputation for being a trustworthy maker of phone cords and chargers. Products like this Belkin USB-A to USB-C cable show why the brand has such a good reputation across the board, with its solid reliability and keen (if admittedly somewhat more premium) pricing.

Like CR's other favored USB-C cables, this Belkin offering is a USB 2.0 cable that'll do 15W of fast charging and 480 Mbps transfers. It also has a two-year warranty, which, while pleasing, isn't out of the ordinary. As far as durability goes, it's roughly on par with the Anker cable in Consumer Reports' testing, with bend test results that put it at around three years' worth of regular use. CR's results are significantly short of the 30,000 bends and 10,000 insertion cycles that Belkin asserts the cable can endure, but we wouldn't be surprised if the reality ended up somewhere in between the two extremes.

One area where the Belkin cable may have an advantage is in the overall feel. We've used plenty of Belkin cables before and always appreciate how they feel just that little bit more premium than most, which is nice if you're handling them daily. That said, the extra cost may not be worth it for many: Amazon currently sells a 6-foot cable for around $15.50, while a 3.3-foot one is $10.