What are the differences between the Apple MFI connectors?

 
Differences of Apple MFI Original Lightning Connector C48/C89/C91/C94/C100/C101

Regarding the Apple MFI certified cable, we can see that there are many kinds of lightning connectors, such as C48/C89/C91/C94/C100/C101, you may get confused about what difference are they? Below answer can help you clear know what are they.

C48 Lightning Connector

C48 lightning connector is used on USB to Lightning Cable, it is old version lightning connector, Apple stopped to supply C48 connector since March 2019. The C48 lightning connector in the market is all the old stock, but it doesn’t matter about the function, it still works on the latest iPhone 13 pro or iPad. No matter how Apple updates the IOS, the C48 lightning connector still works as long as it is original.

C89 Lightning Connector

C89 lightning connector is used on the USB to lightning cable which is used instead of the old C48 lightning connector. The function of the C48 lightning connector is the same as the C89 lightning connector, but the C89 connector is designed with high-level confidentiality of information. The below picture shows the difference between the C48 lightning connector and the C89 lightning connector.

There are several small ICs on the C48 lightning connector PCB, but the C89 lightning connector with a big IC on the PCB makes it more difficult to crack.
C48 lightning connector pin color is gold, but the C89 lightning connector pin color is silver

C94 lightning connector and C91 lightning connector

C94 lightning connector is used on USB C to Lightning cable which supports 18W or higher PD fast Charging. The C94 lightning connector looks the same as the C89 lightning connector, and their price is also the same. C91 lightning connector is the same as C94 lightning connector, but C91 lightning connector was used on Apple original cable, C94 lightning connector is used on third parties of mfi manufacturer, however, now latest USB C to lightning cable from Apple also use C94 lightning connector.

C100 Lightning Connector

C100 lightning connector is used on Ear pods with Lightning Connector

C101 Lightning Connector

The C101 lightning connector is used lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter. C101 looks the same as the C100 lightning connector, but the price for C101 is higher