iPad Charger and Cable Reviews:

Every time you buy an iPad or an iPhone you get another Apple charger and charge cable. One of each; that’s all. I have yet to meet the iPad owner who can get along with just a single cable or charger. It’s especially heavy users who need a place to charge at home, the office, and in the car. While you’re there you may also want to, I don’t know, listen to the massive iTunes library you’ve put together over the years. But what’s this? Your car doesn’t have Bluetooth? Then it’s time to kick it old-school with an AUX cable.

Luckily there is a boatload of after-market cables and chargers available. Unfortunately, there is an absolute boatload of cables and chargers available. The market giveth and it taketh away.

I’ve picked a few examples of the more popular examples here. My favorites are at the top with the rest to follow in no order.

Top Lightning Cable: iLuv Premium Coiled Lightning Cable

The mMini Combo charger is another dual port charger that aims to make the life of a traveler easier. The charger is rated at 15W AC and both ports are smart-charge enabled, which means your iPad will charge at the fastest speed it can handle.

There are no lightning cables included, but there is a clever dual-head cable that can switch between 30-pin and micro USB modes.

The cable is of course now essentially obsolete, so you may as well chuck it unless you are still running a 30-pin device. The charger itself seems to be quite good, with a solid construction and proper fast charging.

Customers report that this charger is reliable, well designed, and widely compatible with many USB devices. The price is also solidly in the impulse buy zone, so really there is no reason not to get one or two of these; throw them into a bag or keep them plugged in behind a desk.

Scosche reVIVE II Dual USB Car Charger for iPad

As a married person I know that one of the biggest sources of tension a couple can experience is the need to charge two devices when only one charger is available. This is especially true on long roadtrips where a smartphone or tablet may be the only thing keeping your passenger sane.

That’s why I like the idea of a dual socket charger. It goes into the lighter socket as usual (because who actually still smokes, right?), but provides a 1 amp and a 2.1 amp socket at the same time. This means your passenger can charge their smartphone on the lower powered socket while you charge your iPad on the more powerful juice supply.

This charger is also very well-priced; I have paid twice as much for a unit with only one socket, so yes, I have experienced some buyer’s remorse in that regard.

The bad news is that this particular one is not that great. Apparently the ports don’t quite conform to USB specifications and can cause all sorts of not-so-great thing to happen – the least of which is simply refusing to charge an iPad, which sort of defeats the point. That’s a hard pass on this one people.

iLuv Compact Six-Port USB Wall Charger

Most people are probably sitting with several wall-wart chargers, creating a clunky fire hazard on their walls. Which is why this six-port compact charger from iLuv is an absolute godsend. It has one USB-C port for MacBooks or iPads that now have that option, but you also get five USB-A ports to charge just about everything else.

Best of all, this charger supports fast charging for multiple device types. It detects the voltage and amperage each device needs and provides it with the right amount to charge it up in as little time as possible.

It’s perfect for traveling, but it’s also perfect for simply and permanently using as the one charger for all your devices.

Charge of the Light(ning) Brigade

Apple’s frugality in bundled chargers and cables turn out to be not such a bad thing. We are spoiled for choice when it comes to setting up more pit stops for our tablets. Hopefully you’ll find the right product to make your iPad lifestyle easier right here. So, go forth and accessorize!