I'm done with Apple's USB-C charging cables. Here's what I'm buying instead

The new Beats USB-C cables are the same price but longer, sturdier, and more colorful.

- BY JASON CROSS

Apple's Beats brand has a habit of one-upping its parent company with products that are a little less restrictive, a little less one-size-fits-all, and a little more colorful, while still offering the same Apple quality (and indeed, often exactly the same technology). Now there are official Beats charging cables (fave.co/4iyipza), and honestly, I'll probably never buy an Applebranded one again.

A single Beats cable costs the same as Apple's ($19 for a single USB-C to USB-C cable, fave.co/3SfPISd; USB-A to USB-C cable, fave.co/42TMlup; or USB-C to Lightning cable, fave.co/4daJKql), and they have the same specs: USB 2.0 data transfer speeds, charging support up to 60W. They're probably identical inside. But they're better in three significant ways.