Although similar, USB-C and Lightning are not the same. They are among the most popular charging cables on the market, especially when it comes to mobile devices.
Lightning vs USB-C! (Comparison) (Review)
The main difference between the two cable types is that Lightning is a proprietary connector used on iPhones and other Apple devices. There are a few other important factors that differentiate USB-C and Lightning.
USB-C and Lightning (not to be confused with Thunderbolt) are protocols used for connection, communication, and power delivery. While both cable types are primarily intended for charging devices like smartphones and tablets, you can also use them for digital transfer tasks like uploading or downloading movies, music, photos, and more.
USB-C is considered by many to be the current standard for charging and data transferring. However, every iPhone and iPad since September 2012 has come with a Lightning cable. The exception is the iPad Pro, which adopted USB-C starting with the 3rd generation models in 2018). Lightning has remained on the iPhone since 2012, while other manufacturers have used a variety of USB port types before (mostly) opting for USB-C.
