8 Great Lightning Charging Gadgets for iPhone Aficionados

The insane popularity of Apple’s iPhone means there’s no shortage of unique charging devices available for the company’s latest smartphones. That’s certainly a good thing. But what’s not so great is that it can be difficult to shift through all of the junk, to find charging devices that are genuinely valuable. The 8 iPhone 5/5c/5s Lightning Charging devices featured here are all high-quality, functional and stylish accessories that work just as advertised. And they’re worth every penny you’ll pay to obtain them.

A couple of weeks ago, NOMAD reached out to me to see if I was interested in checking out its latest smartphone charging device. I get a lot of pitches for random products, and to be honest, I ignore many of them. But I’m glad I responded to that message, because the ChargeKey might be my favorite new Lightning-to-USB charging thingee. The concept is simple: A key-shaped charger for iPhone (Lightning) and other smartphones (micro USB also available) that unobtrusively attaches to your key ring. It’s durable, but flexible, and you always have it when you need it, assuming you carry your key ring all the time. The ChargeKey cost $29, but it’s currently backordered, with an expected ship date of March 15.

That standard white Apple power adaptor block is about as chic as showing up at Starbucks with a 10-year-old Dell notebook. Add some flair to your iPhone charging cable with the LumberJack wooden 5V power adaptor, from Awesome Cables. The gadget costs 95 cents more than Apple’s white adaptor, a small price to pay for style.

We’ve all been there: A crowded coffee shop. A dead or dying iPhone. Just one outlet, and it’s in between a bunch of bulky laptop power plugs. That’s where the Belkin Swivel Charger ($39.99) comes in to save the day. The device rotates 90 degrees to squeeze into tight spaces and provide much-needed power to your dwindling iPhone. The 4-inch Lightning cord can also be removed from the swivel charger, so you can use the adaptor with any other USB cord.

Another unique and well-designed charging gadget from the folks at NOMAD, the ChargeCard fits in your wallet and looks like a slightly thicker than average credit card. It connects to your iPhone’s Lightning port and then to a USB power source. The USB extension folds out of the card when it’s in use and then folds back for easy storage. The ChargeCard is available for Lightning and micro USB devices, and it currently sells for $29.

The standard white charging/sync cable that came with your iPhone is functional, and well…white. But is it “awesome?” Not so much. The Awesome Cable, on the other hand, is functional, brightly colored and, yes, awesome. What makes it “awesomer” than the standard cord? It does everything the Apple cord does; it’s much longer at 6 feet, compared to the standard Apple cord, which is 1.6 feet; it’s thicker and stronger; it is Made For iDevices (MFi) certified by Apple; and at $14.99 it costs half as much as Apple’s 2m cord, which is just 6 inches longer than the Awesome Cable.

OK, the USB Wall Plate Charger from Acoustic Research is not iPhone specific and can be used to charge a wide variety of devices. But it is Made For iDevices (MFi) certified by Apple to provide the fastest possible charge for your iPhone — or other Apple mobile device. The gadget quickly turns your standard wall power outlet into a USB charging station, and it plugs directly into your outlet so it’s simple to install. The USB Wall Plate Charger sells for $39.95 on the online Apple Store.