End of an era: Apple may adopt USB-C on iPhone 15 from 2023 – 05/15/2022

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My latest survey indicates that 2H23 new iPhone will abandon Lightning port and switch to USB-C port. USB-C could improve iPhone’s transfer and charging speed in hardware designs, but the final spec details still depend on iOS support.

??? (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 11, 2022

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At first, the switch to USB-C port was not in Apple’s plans. According to Kuo, the brand’s idea was to remain with the Lightning port on the iPhone to guarantee a “foreseeable future”. According to the company, the change would be harmful to the business and maintenance of the quality standard required by the brand.

EU interference

One possible reason for Apple’s move is pressure from the European Union. Recently, regulatory authorities proposed a law where all smartphones sold on the mainland must have a standard charger port – in this case, the chosen model was USB-C.

Approval of the new legislation continues to move forward and, if passed, would require the company to submit all iPhones, iPads e AirPods with USB-C for commercialization in Europe. It’s unclear whether the new standard would be adopted across all of its products globally, or if it would resign the rest of the world’s models to Lightning.

Today, most of the brand’s iPad lineup already has a USB-C port for faster transfer speeds from camera accessories.

Currently, the Lightning port represents a bottleneck for transferring large video and photo files — a problem that especially affects photographers and cinematographers, a consumer audience that Apple wants to reach with its iPhones state-of-the-art. A switch to USB-C would ease their workflow and help with file transfer.

Pressure impacts Apple’s plans

Pressure put on by the EU may have forced Apple to reconsider its timeline for a fully wireless model, requiring the company to comply with potential future regulations and move the iPhone charger to entry. USB-C.

Initial speculation was that Apple would keep the Lightning port on the iPhone until it was ready to bet on wireless charging, relying on MagSafe — the system designed for wireless charging at up to 15W peak power — to charge and transfer files.

MagSafe was first introduced on the iPhone with the iPhone 12 in 2020, meaning relatively new technology for the iPhone to ditch.

Other changes in sight

The switch to a standard USB-C charger port is one of several changes planned by the brand. Rumors of what the iPhone 14, the brand’s next model, to be presented in September this year, should look like, have already started to appear.

Among the planned updates, the iPhone 14 should have a new look, in addition to retiring the mini version, and having a much more powerful camera than previous versions. Rumors indicate that the iPhones 14 may have a titanium frame, offering greater resistance to the device in case of drops. In addition, the brand would be planning to redesign the speaker grills and microphones.

On June 6 we will have WWDC 2022, Apple’s annual conference for developers, an event in which the company shows news for its different operating systems. On occasion, the brand usually gives tips on what to expect from the company’s next generation of devices.

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