Many rumors have reached us lately about a possible change in the charging port of the next iPhone, abandoning Lightning and adopting the long-awaited USB-C. If a few days ago the famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo showed that Apple was planning to replace the connector with a USB-C input, it is now Bloomberg claiming that Apple is internally testing an iPhone design with USB-C.
Apple introduced the Lightning connector with the iPhone 5, replacing the 30-pin connector and not adopting what the industry demanded at the time, micro-USB. a decade later, Apple could leave this connector aside and the iPhone 14 will be the last to have a Lightning connection and not USB-C.
However, the USB-C connector is not new to Apple, which has already switched its entire range of iPads (except the entry-level model) to this connector. Additionally, MacBooks also have USB-C connectivity and ditched previous connections a long time ago. Let’s also not forget that, although the direct connector of the iPhone is Lightning, the latest models are already launched with a USBC-Lightning connector, so we can say that the iPhone already knows how to recharge via USB-C. Or, at least, half the charge.
Coinciding with Ming-Chi and rumors of imposing Europe to adopt a unified port, Bloomberg revealed in a publication the intention of Apple to abandon the Lightning port from next year in favor of USB-C. This means that a future iPhone 15, in 2023, would already have this new connector.
Data transfer speed may also be a consideration for this adoption. You already know that the USB-C connector is just a physical method, but it can also have other standards behind it that make the transfer much faster (like Thunderbolt on Mac).
Bloomberg also reports that Apple is reportedly working on a Lightning to USB-C adapter to maintain compatibility between the two connectors.
With so much noise about it, it seems like the reality of having an iPhone with USB-C is closer. Undoubtedly, an opportunity to improve its connectivity and, why not, to reduce the number of different cables that we need to charge all our devices.
