Bauhn USB-A to C 6 Feet Braided Cable
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Aldi has been stocking tech accessories for years. In the grocer’s ever-rotating limited buy section, you might find anything from charging stations to tablet desks to phone easels. Gone are the days when Aldi sells actual laptops or tablets, but you can find more than a few items to use alongside your existing technology.
In the summer of 2024, Aldi stocked one of the more varied mixed cases I’ve seen the grocer put out. In one display, Aldi stocked four different types of charging cables as well as a power adapter. The cables were all 6 feet in length, braided, and high data transfer capable (40 Mbps per minute), and both the cables and the chargers were advertised as fast charging.
At present, I don’t have a great need for plug-in power adapters, as I use a quad charger for daily use and I have plenty of adapters lying around from the various phones I’ve bought over the years. I have a greater need for additional cords, since I benefit from keeping some in places like the car (one of my vehicles supports Android Auto, the other has a USB charging port), at work, and in a small bag I keep for travel.
Braided cords, in particular, are useful to me. I find them to be more flexible and less likely to fray and tear. In both of my cars, the angle the cables plug into is such where braided cords hold up better.
That’s why I grabbed one of the Aldi braided cords to try out.
The Bauhn USB-A to C 6 Feet Braided Cable is an Aldi Find, only available at stores for a limited time. Once they’re sold out, you won’t be able to get any until they come back to stores, whenever that might be. Aldi does not ship products online, either.
The cable I bought was part of a larger collection of accessories that included:
- USB C to USB C cables
- USB A to USB C cables
- USB C to Lightning cables
- USB A to Lightning cables
- Power Adapter (USB A and USB C)
I opted for the A to C cable, which I need the most.
Each of these accessories cost $5.99 each. For a long time I’ve been buying cables off of places like Amazon or eBay, as big box store cables, like those from Target, are typically more expensive. These Aldi cables get credit for being on the lower end of prices for similar cables: while I might be able to save a buck or two if I search around on Amazon, Aldi proves competitive here.
According to the box, the Aldi cables are made in Vietnam. They have a one-year warranty serviced by Customer Care USA, a common Aldi warranty provider.
I put the cord through a few paces. I first tried out data connection, plugging the cord into my laptop and phone. I was able to transfer data smoothly enough, moving a moderately large video — 650 MB — between them in about 20 seconds. Just as importantly, I didn’t have any connection loss issues, which I sometimes have with budget cables.
I next tried out fast charging using one of my on-hand bricks and connecting it to my Android phone. My smartphone display indicated it was fast charging. What’s more, the phone was able to fast charge on the cable at a rate consistent with the factory cable the phone came with, charging the phone 20% in 30 minutes.
I also wanted to test out the data connection between my car unit and my phone using Android Auto. This one was of particular interest to me, as I’ve had connection drops between my phone and the car even with some brand cables. I put it through about 20 minutes of drive time mapping destinations via Google Maps and streaming Google News. The connection remained rock solid the entire time, with no indication of connection issues. That’s about as good an outcome as I could ask for.
The Verdict:
Aldi’s $6 braided cable looks promising. In our initial tests, it performed on par with other high-quality cables we’ve used, charging and transferring data the way we would hope it to, including through our car’s Android Auto functions. We don’t know how long the cable will last under use, but we’re hopeful the braided design helps. The one-year warranty isn’t too shabby, either.
