In summary:
- Macworld highlights Beats’ new 3-meter USB-C cables that support 240W charging, making them ideal for MacBook Pro users.
- Priced at $29.99, these cables offer better value than Apple’s alternatives while providing twice the length of previous versions.
- Available in four distinct colors including Bolt Black and Surge Stone, they represent a superior option to Apple’s standard white cables.
Last year, we declared that we had switched from Apple’s boring white charging cables to a different make that were more reliable, longer, and available in a wider range of colors for the same price.
That brand was Apple’s own Beats, and almost a year to the day after Macworld’s cable conversion the company has a new set of colorful cables that are even longer and now rated to charge devices at a speed up to 240W.
The reinforced, tangle-free woven Beats USB-C to USB-C cable now comes in a new 3-meter (10-foot) length, twice the previous 1.5m (5ft).
Apple’s 60W cable is available at a length of just 1 meter and its 240W cable at only 2 meters (6.6 feet).
Simon Jary
The new Beats 10ft cable is available in the same four Beats colors—Bolt Black, Surge Stone, Nitro Navy, and Rapid Red—compared to Apple’s trademark white.
You can order this new 10-foot, 240W Beats cable now at apple.com for $29.99 / £29.99.
The 1.5m version is still available for $19 / £19 in Black, Red, and Stone, and is also available in a Black twin-pack for $34.99. It remains at a 60W maximum speed.
Beats continues to sell a 20cm (8-inch) USB-C 60W cable in black only, for users who want to reduce cable clutter from their charging or synching scenario. Indeed, Beats sells 1.5m and 20cm cables for not just USB-C to USB-C but USB-C to Lightning (for owners of iPhones older than the 15 and various other older Apple devices such as AirPods, wireless keyboards and mice and more) as well as USB-A to USB-C.
Beats
60W is fine for iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks such as the Neo and Air. Owners of the MacBook Pro would be better advised to buy cables that can charge at speeds of 100W or more, such as this Beats 240W model.
Read more reviews of the best USB-C and Thunderbolt cables plus the best Lightning cables available today.
Author: Simon Jary, Contributor, Macworld
Simon has over 30 years of expert experience testing and reviewing ever-smaller and more powerful tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, hubs and adapters. A former Editor of Macworld, he has contributed to PCWorld, Tech Advisor and TimeOut, as well as national newspapers such as The Times, Independent and Telegraph.