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Comment by philliphaydon | Hacker News Reader

I must be the only person on HN who thinks the lightening port is better than USB-C.

I can't really bring myself to care about any small differences when my girlfriend can charge her (Android) phone at her desk using her MacBook charger, and I can't do the same with my iPhone

It is. Apple could have licensed it freely to make it the standard before USB-C existed, but chose to keep it proprietary to milk accessory manufacturers instead.

> I must be the only person on HN who thinks the lightening port is better than USB-C.

How do you define "better?"

For charging its fine, as long as you aren't going for high power levels. In terms of data transfer, it simply can't support the data rates that usb-c can. If you want a simple, robust connector for moderate charging loads with moderate data transfer needs it is a great connector.

That's not opinion, just simple physics. Lightning has a lot fewer wires. Apple has managed to get base USB3 rates with a couple of devices, but nowhere close to the thunderbolt rates you can get with USB-C.

Having said that, for the vast majority of use cases, it is a great connector. Simple, idiot proof, and robust.

No, I think those that think otherwise are just extra loud. I use MagSafe these days, so its not really something I deal with, but lightning is a bit easier to plug in and out than USB-C. But both are much better than the pain inducing MicroUSB.

Maybe a better UX for you but definitely not better performance

Absolutely. I don't discount that technically lightning is inferior in every way now. But the actual physical connection I think is superior. I would love USB-C with the physical lightening port.

Nope, I agree. USB-C seems fragile as hell.

Of the 7 lightening cables I own, two of them have stopped working, and one of them only charges in only one orientation (flip it, and it doesn't work). I'm hoping that usb-c on Apple devices will be more reliable.

Ergonomically, Lightning is clearly superior.

USB-C can do more things, though.

no you're not. sturdier, clicks in better and doesn't wear down the same way. and im not even a apple fan/user.

You've never had a bad connection with Lightning? Every Lightning cable I've ever had has two pins that have become blackened due to frequent arcing. And the "click" is dependent on the quality of the cable. USB-C cables from Apple click in exactly the same as their Lightning cables, for example.

So I had an iPhone 4 which i ditched quite quickly as I thought it was a junk phone and went Android for a while. Picked up again at iPhone 6 when I was paid for some work with an iPhone 6 Plus and have had iPhones since. So that was 2014, 8 years of Lightning ports.

I've had 0 lightening cables break in any capacity.

While the USB-C cables I've had for Headphones, iPad, Asus Keyboard, Corsair Mouse, and a few other little things. I've had to replace 5 cables.

I love the idea of having 1 cable that I can use for everything. But no matter what anyone says, the lightning cable is superior in terms of physical connection.

Been using Lightning models since the iPhone 6 generation and haven't seen this behavior even once. The worst I've seen was a couple of times where the phone's port got pocket lint stuck in it, making it harder to plug in cables which was fixed easily enough with some careful teasing with a SIM ejector tool.

I don't have anything against USB-C but its "click" factor varies a lot between cable/port manufacturers due to much wider tolerances/variances in manufacturing.

+1 to this behavior. Did not know it was from arcing. I have lots of cables of the years that have that signature black pin. Very annoying.

I’ve had corroded pins on a couple Lightning cables, always happens after the phone was in a humid environment like a steamy bathroom after a shower. Now I resort to wireless charging if there’s any hint of moisture on the phone and that has kept my connectors fresh.

The click is good until pocket lint accumulates in the phone lightning receptacle. At that point it starts failing to charge occasionally. A couple of minutes with a toothpick and a flashlight and it is back to working great.

I saw the arc once with a cheap no-name cable. I'm guessing the cable tolerances on the conductor placements was off a little bit.

uhh tbh no. i have had problems with that stupid little center piece in a usb c port weakening because it's still a stupid design.

It's a better port maybe, but the licensing strangles it.

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