Apple is getting closer to manufacturing an iPhone model that has no ports and screen cutouts. Such a device would recharge and transmit data wirelessly. Its display would cover the front-facing camera and the Face ID components.
Apple wanted the iPhone 17 Air to start that design revolution this year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Over the weekend, Gurman said Apple wanted the ultra-thin iPhone to be a portless phone, ditching the USB-C that’s now standard across Apple’s lineup.
However, Apple supposedly feared regulatory pressures would get in the way, especially the European Union, which forced the USB-C ports on iPhones with recent legislation. A portless iPhone might still happen in the coming years, Gurman said.
While Apple’s worries aren’t official, and I wouldn’t expect the iPhone maker to ever confirm them, it looks like the EU has no problem with portless phones, whether iPhones or something else.
Apple is known for design moves that spark some controversy. When Apple replaced the original iPhone port with Lightning, there was pushback despite the obvious advantages of the latter. The same happened when Apple removed the headphone jack, which ultimately allowed it to ship the all-screen iPhone X a few years later. People protested while Apple showed them the way with the AirPods wireless earphones.
Everybody in the industry followed the headphone jack design trend and created AirPods rivals of their own.
Apple’s transition to USB-C wasn’t as surprising or polarizing. Everyone wanted USB-C on iPhone, considering most iPads already shipped with USB-C connectors. Apple had to make the switch as the EU passed legislation demanding electronic device makers adopt the same charging port. It was all part of a larger initiative to reduce e-waste, particularly tied to battery technology.
Apple begrudgingly accepted the EU imposing this iPhone design feature. We’ll never know if Apple would have really moved to USB-C on its own or whether it would have gone directly for portless iPhones.
Apple will probably never admit the EU forced its hand. But we already know what happens in the EU if your phone doesn’t have a USB-C port. Devices like Apple’s iPhone 14 and the iPhone SE 3 are no longer available from Apple in the EU because of the USB-C legislation.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder Apple is treading cautiously when launching a portless iPhone. However, there’s no reason to worry, as the EU confirmed to 9to5Mac that the current legislation would not prevent a portless iPhone from being launched.
The blog asked European Commission press officer Federica Miccoli whether a portless phone would be compliant with the law, and the answer was affirmative:
Yes. Since, such radio equipment cannot be recharged via wired charging, it does not need to incorporate the harmonized (wired) charging solution.
9to5Mac also points out that the current legislation calls for the EU to support wireless charging standards instead of proprietary ones:
The Commission will promote the harmonization of wireless charging in order to avoid future fragmentation of the internal market and any negative effects on consumer and the environment. The Commission will monitor the evolution of all types of wireless charging technologies (not only inductive), particularly market developments, market penetration, market fragmentation, technological performance, interoperability, energy efficiency and charging performance.
As stated in recital 13 of the Common Charger Directive, “the Commission should take action towards promoting and harmonizing such solutions to avoid future fragmentation of the internal market.”
That’s not a problem for Apple’s MagSafe wireless charging tech, which might seem proprietary. Apple gave the MagSafe standard to the Wireless Power Consortium, where it became the Qi2 standard, which is yet to be supported by most Android vendors. The point is that a portless iPhone that charges wirelessly via MagSafe would be perfectly legal in the EU.
While we wait for a portless iPhone, the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air with USB-C and MagSafe charging will hit stores this September. It’s unclear when a portless iPhone will follow.
As for an iPhone without camera cutouts at the top of the screen, we’ll have to wait a while. It might all start with iPhone 18 models with Face ID tech under the screen if recent rumors are to be believed.
