Benson here again with a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable review. Today I am reviewing AmazonBasics USB 2.0 C-to-C cables, in all four lengths of 0.5ft, 3ft, 6ft, and 9ft. These cables are not a legacy USB cables like the majority of my previously reviewed products. Instead, these are pure C-to-C cables meant to be used with newer accessories such as Type-C chargers, or to connect Type-C phones to Type-C laptops. These are USB 2.0 Type-C cables, meaning that they only support USB 2.0 data, and are not appropriate for consumers looking for a cable to connect their laptop to a Type-C monitor or docking station for video out, or to connect to SuperSpeed USB 3.1 devices such as external HDD or SSDs. However, these should still be a good charging cables, though, at up to 60W. *Advanced Cable Tester Results* I am using Total Phase's Advanced Cable Tester, which does easy cable testing in three critical areas: * continuity - checks that every pin on the cable is connected where it's supposed to, not connected to where it's not * DC Resistance - checks to see if this cable is within spec for IR Drop (Section 4.4.1 of the Type-C spec) for charging performance * Signal integrity - checks the USB 2.0 data lines can perform at 480mbps. Quick summary of results from the tester: Continuity- All four cables passed continuity, meaning all have the right number of wires, and they all go where they are supposed to. DC Resistance- 9ft cable: Vbus 108.78 mΩ, Gnd 50.10 mΩ 6ft cable: Vbus 117.12 mΩ, Gnd 59.15 mΩ 3ft cable: Vbus 91.71 mΩ, Gnd 45.59 mΩ 0.5ft cable : Vbus 27.23 mΩ, Gnd 35.86 mΩ Maximum allowed values for Vbus and Gnd are 167mΩ and 83.3mΩ respectively, so all four cables comfortably meet the DC resistance requirement. These cables will not cause excessively slow charging. Signal Integrity- All four cables passed High speed signal integrity, meaning they will perform well at USB 2.0 speeds. *USB-IF Certification* Amazon advertises these cables are USB-IF Certified compliant for USB 2.0. Let's cross reference from USB's official cable PDF. B01LONPUM4 - 6 inch cable. TID 210,000,202 B01GGKYZQM - 3ft cable. TID 210,000,201 B01GGKZ1VA - 6ft cable. TID 210,000,200 B01GGKZ3MM - 9ft cable. TID 210,000,199 These part numbers are pulled directly from USB's spreadsheet, and they match the Amazon's ASINs for these 4 cables. Therefore, I conclude that these cables are certified compliant by USB-IF, as Amazon advertises. *Functional Testing* For functional testing, I have tested charging my Chromebook Pixel 2015 with Apple's 87W USB-C power adapter:Apple MNF82LL/A 87W USB-C Power Adapter Since the AmazonBasics cables only support 3A, I expect that the Apple 87W adapter will only offer 60W to my Chromebook Pixel. In my testing, all four cables successfully charge the laptop at 60W with no problems using USB Power Delivery. I will post my more detailed data in the comments to keep this review more concise. I also performed a quick test of USB 2.0 data capabilities by connecting my Nexus 5X phone (a USB 2.0 phone) to the Chromebook Pixel using all four cables. In each case, the phone could be put into MTP mode and large file transfer was successful. For other more subjective judgements of this cable : AmazonBasics USB-C cables are in line with the rest of AmazonBasics cables; they're good quality, thin and flexible, at all lengths. The longer cables get more and more stiff and thick as they use larger gauge wire in order to meet performance requirements, so expect the 6ft and 9ft cables to be a fair bit thicker than the 3ft. The connectors on both ends are deep-draw extruded Type-C plugs, which put them on par with higher end cables from Apple and Google. *Conclusion* AmazonBasics USB-C to USB-C 2.0 cables are excellent charging and high-speed data (up to 480mbps) cables. My testing shows they can handle high voltage high power charging up to 60W easily. I am pleased to see that Amazon is jumping into the ecosystem with a compliant and good offering. This is a no brainer for folks with Nexus 5X/6P, Pixel, Pixel XL, Chromebook, or MacBook users looking for an affordable spare cable at various lengths.
