The iPhone has been rumored to be converting to USB-C for so long, you can be forgiven if you tuned in to the prompt a long time ago. But make no mistake — Apple has confirmed it’s making the switch to USB-C for the iPhone, dropping its Lightning port in favor of USB-C. This move will come sooner than you think.
I’m one of those people who’s spent the last few years responding to breathless claims of impending Lightning-to-USB-C swaps with “Yes, absolutely,” so I know how tempting it can be to dismiss those rumors. aK, fine — Apple is embracing the USB-C portyou may find yourself saying. But is this step really that big?
With a word yes. Yes, it is actually a big problem. And with this move likely to come with the release of the iPhone 15 next fall, it’s time to delve into why USB-C is such an important addition to Apple phones.
iPhone and USB-C: What we know so far
We know Apple is planning to move to USB-C because the company told us so. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal Tech Live Event in October, Apple senior vice president Greg Joswiak confirmed that at some point, Lightning will give way to a USB-C port on the company’s phones.
However, Apple is not making this move voluntarily. This is done due to legislation passed by the European Union that requires a common charging port for electronic devices.
This EU law doesn’t go into effect until December 2024, which leaves some wondering about when Apple might start using USB-C on its iPhones. With new iPhones routinely being released in the fall, the 2023 iPhone 15 is widely expected to be when Apple makes the move. The release of phones with USB-C in 2023 will allow Apple to get its products out before the EU deadline.
Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is among those anticipating USB-C for the iPhone 15 lineup, with the connection standard appearing on all new models of Apple’s smartphone. My latest survey says all new iPhones (2H23) will ditch Lightning and change to USB-C, but only two high-end models (15 Pro and 15 Pro Max) will support high-speed wired transfer, and the standard models (15 & 15 15 Plus) don’t. It still supports USB 2.0 as Lightning,” the analyst tweeted (Opens in a new tab).
(5/7) My latest poll says all new 2H23 iPhones will ditch Lightning and change to USB-C, but only two high-end models (15 Pro and 15 Pro Max) will support high-speed wired transfer, and they’re still the standard devices ( 15 and 15 15 Plus) support USB 2.0 as Lightning.November 17, 2022
The iPhone 15 wouldn’t be the first Apple product to feature a USB-C port instead of Lightning — not by far. Every current iPad model, including the 10th generation iPad released this year, has a USB-C connection. Of the iPads still for sale at the Apple Store, only the ninth generation iPad features Lightning.
iPhone and USB-C: Why it matters
USB-C handles more power and provides faster data transfer.
– Avi Greengart, Techsponential
There’s a reason some people are excited about the prospect of USB-C making its way to the iPhone, and it has to do with speed. “USB-C handles more power and offers faster data transfer, though it can be difficult to differentiate the capabilities offered by a particular USB-C port and cable,” Avi Greengart, senior analyst at Techsponential, said when I asked about the move. to USB-C meant for iPhone lovers.
Charging speeds is one area where the USB-C iPhone can stand out from current models. For a while, Apple phones have been maxed out at 20W wired charging. It’s not just pokey — Apple says you can get your iPhone 14 Pro Max to 50% discharged after 30 minutes. (We hit 42% in our iPhone 14 Pro Max review test, but we’ll call that close enough for government work.)
The problem with 20W charging speeds is that competing flagship phones can charge faster than current iPhones. For example, the Galaxy S22 Ultra supports 45W charging, and we expect the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra to do the same. The Pixel 7 Pro offers 30W charging, and while this doesn’t catch on, it’s faster than the iPhone’s maximum charging speed.
Meanwhile, OnePlus continues to set the standard for fast-charging phones, as the OnePlus 10 Pro can recharge at 65W in the US. (In the UK and Europe where electrical standards differ, a phone can recharge at 8%W). There’s clearly a gap that Apple must close, and USB-C might be the way to do it.
There’s another benefit to USB-C, which Kuo touts in his claims about the iPhone 15 Pro — the connection standard can also speed up data transfer. This is a particularly welcome feature for mobile photographers who use their iPhone to take photos and especially high-resolution video.
It also fuels speculation that Apple may use faster transfer speeds as another way to feature high-end iPhones like the rumored iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Ultra. Again, this wouldn’t be without precedent — the USB-C port on the 2022 iPad only supports data transfer speeds of 480Mbps. This is much slower than other iPads with a USB-C port, with the M1 and M2-powered iPad Pro models in particular offering speeds of 40Gbps.
iPhone and USB-C: Potential Complications
Fast charging and data transfer will be welcome additions to future iPhones, but switching to USB-C won’t be without some costs, especially for Apple and its suite of third-party-designed Lightning accessories. “Some of those costs are lost licensing revenue for Apple, though the Made for iPhone and MagSafe programs will certainly still be robust regardless of the connector used,” Greengart said.
But you and I will also bear some costs. “The biggest cost is borne by consumers, who have invested in cables, chargers, and connected accessories that are now obsolete,” Greengart added. “I continue to encounter hotel rooms with 30-pin iPhone connectors that were recently used on the iPhone 4.”
When USB-C-equipped iPhones start arriving, it means all those Lightning cables you’ve accumulated over the years are suddenly useless. That’s why Apple’s objections to an upcoming EU law mandating USB-C adoption often point to e-waste concerns — and with good reason.
Then again, if you have a lot of technology in your home, you probably have a good set of USB-C cables, too. So that could ease some of the transition to the new connectivity standard on future iPhones.
“When Apple makes the switch to comply with EU legislation, it will require a period of adjustment and create a lot of electronic waste, but there is an undeniable convenience and long-term environmental benefit to standardization on a single physical connector,” Greengart said. “At this point, people who own other digital devices have already purchased a lot of USB-C gadgets, so the move to USB-C will be better accepted by consumers than if Apple had taken this step earlier.”
iPhone and USB-C expectations
Whether it’s the iPhone 15 or later, the arrival of USB-C on the iPhone marks the end of an era of connectivity and the beginning of another. It may have taken us too long to get there, and there may be additional bumps in the road. But the end result should be a much better smartphone experience.
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