Due to the popularity and high prices of Apple products and their related accessories, many manufacturers have come up with the know-off accessories. Those who bought the iPhone or iPad for the first time might not be aware of the scammers in the market.
However, keeping your eyes closed while purchasing the Apple device accessories might not be a good option as your little ignorance can cost you much more than just a cable.
The Apple company is acting responsibly when it comes to real and fake differentiation. That is why the company has set some standards for the 3rd party manufacturers so the users will get only the authorized products.
While looking for the Apple accessories, you should consider authorization of;
- Type a, type c Lightning cable
- Audio and video modules
- Wired or wireless chargers
This article will explain to you why it’s important to pick only the real and authorized lightning cables and how to separate the real lightning cables from the fake ones.
Risks Associated With Knock-Off Lightning Cables
As the lightning cables are a major player in charging and data transfer in the Apple lineup, there are some damages that the knock-off cables can cause;
- Slow charging and data transfer
- Can cause overheating, over-charging and over-voltage
- Might not be as durable and long-lasting as the real cables
- Risks of cable damage
Difference Between Real and Knock-Off Lightning Cables
While purchasing the lightning cables, it’s possible that you might not find any difference between both at first glance. But there are a few minor details that you need to check to separate the real from fake.
1. Connector’s Pin Part
Usually, the real lightning cables have a perfectly round white pin part. The scammers did not take this perfection into account and generally had irregular and sharp ends on the white pin part.
2. Pin Contacts
The pin contact of real cables is mostly made from silver or gold color material with smooth and rounded ends. In contrast, the knock-off lacks pure color with a rough finish and sharp ends.
3. Connector’s Size
The authorized connectors are made according to specific measurements, so they all usually have the same width and thickness of 7.5 and 12mm. This standard size makes them universal for all Apple lineups.
While the knock-off cable connector mostly doesn’t fit according to this particular size standard.
4. The Metal Quality of USB Plugs
The lightning cable connectors are made from metal. The authorized and real cable manufacturer uses only high-quality metals that are smooth and shiny. However, the knock-off cables always use low-quality metals that give a granny and dull appearance as the basic purpose of producing the fake cables is to save money.
5. MFi Serial Number
As discussed earlier, the Apple company set some standards for the 3rd party manufacturers; these standards are recognized with the MFi serial numbers. This serial number is usually issued by the Apple company.
All the authorized cables have this 12-digit code on these cables along with some other information.
However, copying the numbers by scammers is not a big deal.
So, to confirm whether the number is real or not, you can match the font theme with the Apple company font theme.
You can also check the number through the MFi official website.
If you are purchasing the lightning cables online, there are some other quick tips through which you can pick the real cable;
- Price: scammers always offer low prices to attract the customers while the quality manufacturers cannot afford to sell the products at low price
- Product Review: in the online market, product review is the most reliable information from where you can check what others get from the site.
- Product Pictures: the scammers usually use pictures of other sites rather than showing their own products
Wrap Up!
Hopefully, this article will help you pick the real lightning cable from all the scammers in the market. For a reliable authorized website, you can check the Ugreen, as all of its products are MFi certified with the logo on their chips.
