Lightning is a proprietary connector, only used with Apple products:
“Lightning - Wikipedia*“:Lightning - Wikipedia*(connector)
Micro-USB is a standard connector used by (among others) Samsung:
Mini-USB is an older standard, not in use by any newer products:
Last night while lining the Apple with the Samsung I notice the Apple was difference. After doing research on the lightning connector it makes sense now. The Samsung uses a micro b plug.
Thanks for the replies everyone its much appreciated
Hey Venom,
this is typically Apple (not in a good or bad way). They have their own proprietary connection so they can design it to their needs without having to take standardisation into consideration. At the same time this means that as an Apple consumer you are forced to buy their cable with a nice profit margin for Apple.
Except Garmin. My one year old GPS still uses the mini
tbh the lighting connector has a much better design.
But they really should switch to USB-C at this point.
In a bad way.
That’s bad.
Actual screenshot I have just taken from the official spanish Apple site, “Lightning to USB cable” product page:
Check it out: https://www.apple.com/es/shop/product/MD818ZM/A/cable-de-conector-lightning-a-usb
Out of 121, there were 5 fanboys and 116 who have seen the light. Pretty ludicrous show! €25 a piece! 
Apple may be rich, but certainly it is not because of me.
Cheers ^:)
Having a family that all have Apple iPhones, the 1 aspect of the Lightning cable that I like is that it can be inserted either way. There’s not a top or bottom to it. On the other hand, the micro, mini, and regular USB can only be inserted 1 way. And with the micro USB, sometimes I think I’m inserting it the right way, but then it seems to not quite fit and then I’ll realize to turn it around. I haven’t broke a micro USB in a device yet, but my son has. They seem a little fragile.
I went to the paracable website and they were out of stock on the one I want. How are the Anker Powerline Plus cable?
I have absolutely 0 problems with one-way cables, NeutralFan, and wouldn't pay even a single additional dime for such feature were it to be an option.
All of you Apple users? Ouch! Not my cup of tea. @#$% closed systems and implied enforcements.
Paracable… overpriced. My custom No-frills USB to MicroUSB Heavy-duty Cat-5e 5+ft 1'5+m Charging/data Cable beats them all performance/price wise. 
Cheers 
Anker makes good cables.
Custom can always beat stock.
However:
I was sick and tired of having to replace my charging cables over and over again (since they break). So I tried Paracable and couldn’t be happier.
Paracables may be expensive (the profit margin is probably huge), but they really are built like a tank and will very likely outlive most other brands by a hefty margin (and thus pay for themselves by not having to be replaced). Charging is noticeably faster too and I don’t mind that they look good.
I use both Apple/Lightning and micro-USB (for different devices).
I beg to differ. Have tested a lot of cables, and none of them show a drop in amps, even really really crappy ones.
They do have a voltage drop, maybe that is what's influencing your readings, making the device you're charging demand a lower current.
Using a device featuring charging circuitry isn't optimal for testing cables.
Regarding what brand to buy : I'm quite happy with the bang-for-buck factor of BlitzWolf's latest cables, tested a lot of them and they seem to be built pretty good and have low resistance.
If you want to know what cables I've tested, check the links in my sig.
The cable do not change the current, but many phones and other devices will reduce the charge current when the voltage drops due to a crappy cable.
Google pixel, as well as the Nexus 5x and my Nexus 6P 
I thought I said that in the next paragraph. I always laugh when they advertise a 3A cable :)
Exactly, and thus the charging time is affected considerably. Especially Apple drops the current quite a bit.
My custom cable uses 3 pairs of AWG24 (3 × AWG24 = AWG19.2623) wires for power transmission; this is 86.56mΩ of total wire resistance, or close to 260mV of drop when 3A of current flows through it. Bear in mind this is just for the cable! There are additional losses because of plug contact resistances (bottlenecks), which get worse with usage wear and tear. So even with my low drop custom cable such high rate would be problematic, I believe.
Honestly, lots of consumers are half-wits. Don't get me wrong, I may still be half-witted under certain circumstances. Problem is you really can't/shouldn't trust advertising (as a rule), but half-wits tend to. You know, when people buys UltraTurd 18650 9800mAh cells in bulk… :facepalm: 
Cheers ^:)
Thanks for all the replies!