USB-C iPhone: The latest news and what to expect

A USB-C iPhone might once have seemed impossible, but the latest rumors suggest it’s actually coming sooner than you might think. Amid regulatory backlash and Lightning connector restrictions, the first USB-C iPhone could hit the market as early as 2023. Below are the latest details on what we know so far.

regulatory pressure

There are a number of reasons why Apple seems to have changed its stance on releasing a USB-C iPhone. One thing that’s hard to overlook, however, is the looming legislation around the world.

After several years of back and forth, the European Union has officially agreed on a “common charging port” standard. From 2024, all smartphones sold in the 27 countries of the EU must use USB-C for charging. This includes the iPhone and even peripheral accessories like AirPods.

Just weeks after the EU agreed on its legislation, lawmakers in the United States pledged their support. Many urged the US to enact something similar. Senator Elizabeth Warren further renewed that call in a post Twitter say today:

Consumers shouldn’t have to constantly buy new chargers for different devices. With uniform standards, we create a remedy – for less effort, less trouble and less waste.

In early October, legislation was formally adopted in the EU after a full vote by the European Parliament. The law was passed with an overwhelming majority, with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions. By law, there are exceptions for products that are undersized and offer a USB-C port.

The legislation must next be approved by the European Council and then published in the EU’s Official Journal. All products that went on sale previously are exempt from the requirement, but it is expected to come into effect before the launch of the iPhone 16 in 2024.

Apple has resisted laws that would make a USB-C iPhone mandatory. The company argues that such laws stifle innovation and actually lead to more environmental waste.

Will Apple release a USB-C iPhone?

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first predicted in 2019 that Apple would release a portless iPhone as early as 2021, but that hasn’t come true. It’s easy to see why — wireless technologies just aren’t reliable or powerful enough to fully replace a connector like Lightning or USB-C. Loading speeds aren’t that fast, data transfer is slow and unreliable, and consumer adoption isn’t there yet.

A portless iPhone is still in the works and being tested internally at Apple, but we don’t expect it to be revealed to the public this year or next.

The Lightning Connector is also slowly showing its age. When it was first introduced with the iPhone 5 in 2012, Apple’s Phil Schiller touted that it would be “the modern connector for the next decade”. A decade has passed since that announcement, and it’s clear that Lightning is falling behind USB-C in things like charging speeds and data transfer speeds.

Apple is rumored to be boosting Lightning data transfer rates to USB 3.0 starting with the iPhone 14 Pro this fall, but USB-C still leads the way.

So that brings us to where we are today. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in May that the iPhone 15, due out in 2023, will have a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. This report was eventually confirmed by Bloombergwhich also said that next year the iPhone 15 might move to a USB-C port.

An iPhone with USB-C will surely make many consumers happy, especially those who already own an iPad or a Mac that also uses USB-C. However, given the sheer number of iPhone users, Apple will undoubtedly receive criticism for changing the iPhone’s charging port — even if a switch to USB-C is ultimately the right decision.

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