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How to pick
This is the category where brand actually matters and where I will not budge. A bad charger or a bad cable is the one that gets warm, charges intermittently, and eventually causes a real problem. Anker and UGREEN both make this stuff properly and neither is expensive. On cables, buy braided and buy longer than you think. On chargers, one good multi port brick replaces the drawer full of old ones.
What I recommend
Anker or UGREEN braided USB-C cables
Gas station cables fray at the plug within a month and then charge on and off, which people almost always blame on the phone. Buy two good braided ones and the problem is gone for years.
- Jacket
- Braided, not bare plastic
- Length
- 6 ft or longer
- Power
- Rated 60W or higher
- End
- Match your device, USB-C or Lightning
UGREEN HDMI cable
There is no magic in an expensive HDMI cable, but there is a real difference between a decent one and the freebie that came in the box. If a TV or monitor flickers or drops out, swapping this is the cheapest thing to rule out first.
- Version
- HDMI 2.0 or 2.1
- Supports
- 4K at 60Hz minimum
- Length
- 6 ft or longer
- Jacket
- Braided if it gets moved about
Anker Nano or UGREEN Nexode charger
One small brick that charges a phone, a tablet, and a laptop, and does not cook itself doing it. Either brand is a safe buy. This is the one place I really do not want anyone saving five dollars on an unknown name.
- Power
- 65W or more to run a laptop
- Ports
- At least two
- Type
- GaN, for a much smaller brick
- Mix
- USB-C plus a USB-A is handy
Anker PowerCore power bank
For trips, long days out, or the next time the power goes down and you still need a phone. Anker has been making these longer than anyone and it shows in how they hold a charge sitting in a bag for a month.
- Capacity
- 10,000 mAh for a phone
- Bigger
- 20,000 mAh to charge a laptop
- Ports
- USB-C in and out
- Flying
- Check your airline's limit
UGREEN or Anker charging station
One brick on the counter with enough ports for the whole family, so phones, tablets and a laptop all land in the same place. Tidier than four wall warts and it stops the nightly hunt for a charger.
- Power
- 100W or more in total
- Ports
- 4 to 6
- Mix
- Both USB-C and USB-A
- Shape
- Desktop brick, not a wall plug
Related reading
Drawer full of cables and no idea what they do?
Bring them along. I will tell you what to keep and what to throw out.