Apple may finally be planning to make one of the most commonly requested changes to the iPhone in 2023. According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 15 will ditch the Lightning port in favor of USB-C.
Kuo reached this conclusion after sending a survey to his supply chain sources. He believes that adopting USB-C should improve the iPhone’s transfer and charging speeds, but warns that it will depend on how iOS interacts with the technology.
iPhone 15 set to adopt USB-C ports
Apple first introduced the Lightning port on the iPhone 5 in 2012. Over the years, virtually every other smartphone vendor has moved to USB-C, but Apple refuses to conform. In fact, Kuo himself even suggested as recently as last year that the iPhone would continue to come with Lightning ports for “the foreseeable future.” He noted that USB-C isn’t as waterproof as Lightning and that adopting USB-C would be detrimental to Apple’s MFi business. In spite of all of this, the analyst has changed his tune, and we think we know why.
Late last year, the European Union’s European Commission proposed legislation that would make USB-C the standard charging port for most portable electronics. Weeks ago, Members of the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of the legislation. There are many steps left in the process, and even if the EU does adopt the law, Apple and other vendors will have time to make the necessary changes to their products.
Nevertheless, when the law goes into effect, Apple will have two choices. The company could either manufacture separate versions of its Lightning products with USB-C ports specifically for Europe or it could simply bring USB-C to all of its devices.
Based on Kuo’s tweets, Apple appears to have chosen the latter. It seems sensible, especially considering that some of Apple’s products already feature USB-C.
Apple made the switch to USB-C for most of its iPad lineup years ago. Doing the same for the iPhone might not be as seamless, but Apple will avoid an enormous legal headache. And that alone might be reason enough to make the switch sooner than later.
What other changes are coming to iPhone?
Kuo’s tweets came just hours after another reliable source shared some interesting tidbits about the next iPhone models. According to display analyst Ross Young, the screens on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be slightly larger than the displays on last year’s Pro models. He also heavily implied that every iPhone 15 model will adopt the pill-and-hole punch design we’ve seen repeatedly in recent leaks. If Young and Kuo are right, the iPhone 15 will be one of the most intriguing Apple products in years.
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