Anker 240W USB-C Cable (6 ft): The Cable Behind Every Test
The Anker 240W USB-C cable used for every charger test on this site. Its e-marker reports 5A, EPR and Anker, and only some chargers let the Mac read it.
This is the cable behind every USB-C charger test on this site: Anker’s 6 ft, 240W USB-C cable. It’s a passive cable rated for 240W with USB 2.0 data, and its e-marker names Anker.
The specs
| Brand | Anker |
| Listing | Anker USB C Cable, 240W Type C Fast Charging Cord (1-Pack, 6 ft) |
| Data | USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) |
| Power | 240W - 5A, EPR |
| Type | Passive |
| Length | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
| E-marker vendor | Anker |
USB Connection Information read the cable as: Passive, USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), 5 A, EPR - Anker.
Why every test uses it
A charger test only measures the charger if the cable can’t get in the way. A plain cable with no e-marker is held to 3 amps, which is 60W. Test a 96W adapter through one of those and you’d publish the cable’s limit as the charger’s result. We showed exactly that with Apple’s 60W cable : the same 96W adapter negotiated 60 W on it and 94 W on this one.
This cable declares 5 amps and EPR, so it can carry anything up to 240W. Whatever number a test shows is the charger’s.
The USB 2.0 data speed is the part that raises eyebrows. It doesn’t matter here. Data speed and charging power are separate ratings, and a charging test never moves data. More in the testing methodology and charging speed vs data speed .
It names its own brand
The chip reports Anker, the name on the cable. That’s the simple case, and not every cable in this library does it:
- Apple’s 2 m USB-C Charge Cable names Apple, the brand.
- Both OWC cables, the Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 , name Lintes Technology, the chip maker.
- The TALIX 240W cable names Lenovo, which is neither.
Some chargers let the Mac read it, some don’t
Because this is the same cable in every test, it shows something about the chargers. To read a cable’s e-marker, the chip has to be powered and asked. On a charge-only connection, whether that happens depends on the charger. So far:
| Mac read the cable through | Mac couldn’t read it through |
|---|---|
| Anker 33W 2-Port | Apple 96W |
| Anker Nano Charger Neo | Anker 25W |
| Dell WD22TB4 dock | Golf ball 20W |
| Target dealworthy 20W |
The dock is the expected one: it’s a data connection, so the Mac powers and queries the cable itself. On the chargers, it’s up to the charger. Nothing changed but the charger, so the difference is theirs, not the cable’s.
When a charger doesn’t let the Mac read it, the app shows “No e-marker read”, and the cable still carries its full 5 amps. The chip is still there. It just wasn’t asked.
Buying one
The Anker 240W USB-C cable (6 ft) is the one to get if you want a charging cable that’s never the bottleneck. Just don’t expect fast data from it.
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