Will iPhone 15 have USB-C charging? What we know so far

You may need another charging cable to power your next iPhone for the first time in more than a decade. And if so, we hope to find out more on September 12, when Apple holds its next event – presumably to introduce the iPhone 15.

Apple CEO said the company plans to comply with European regulations requiring all new phones to use the same common USB-C charging port. Most phones already use USB-C, with Apple being the main exception.

When asked if Apple would switch to USB-C, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said the company had “no other choice.” Joswiak said during an appearance at The Wall Street Journal Tech Live conference in October that Apple would “comply with local laws” as it does around the world.

However, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how Apple will make the transition to USB-C for the iPhone. Apple rarely discusses new products before announcing them, meaning we don’t have many details like whether all new iPhones will have USB-C or just those sold in Europe.

Apple declined to share further details about its plans to bring USB-C to future iPhones.

Will iPhone 15 have a USB-C charging port?

It’s possible that the iPhone 15 could have a USB-C port instead of a Lightning connector, but that can’t be known until Apple releases the next iPhone. EU regulations say that all mobile phones sold in the EU will have to have USB-C charging ports by the end of 2024. That means it’s unclear whether Apple will begin the transition in 2023 with the iPhone 15 or wait until 2024.

But Chiew Le Xuan, a research analyst at Canalys, said the switch could happen sooner or later.

“What we think is that Apple will bring Type C to the iPhone 15 series,” he said. “So similar to what they did with the iPad [and] Mac: They pretty much just switched their entire product line.”

Apple is said to have tested iPhone models with USB-C ports before. Bloomberg reported last May that Apple was testing future iPhone models with USB-C, as well as an adapter that would allow these iPhones to work with a Lightning connection. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities famous for his predictions about Apple, also said that Apple plans to transition iPhones to USB-C in 2023. Leaker ShrimpApplePro (everyone does Dynamic Island’s design leak early) tweeted in April that a USB-C version of Apple’s EarPod wired headphones is being mass-produced, potentially suggesting that the next iPhone could have a USB-C port.

It’s worth noting that Apple is a member of the USB Implementers Forum, a non-profit organization founded to further the development and adoption of USB.

What is the reason behind the new EU regulations?

The new mission is part of an effort to simplify the charging experience for consumers and cut down on e-waste.

“Under the new regulations, consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they buy a new device as they will be able to use a single charger for their entire range of portable electronic devices. medium and small,” said a European expert. Press release of the National Assembly.

The release said the change is also intended to help cut around 11,000 tonnes (12,125 tonnes) of e-waste annually from unused chargers in the EU.

Watch this: Apple may finally bring USB-C to the iPhone 15

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Will all future iPhones use USB-C or just European ones?

This is another question that we won’t know the answer to until Apple releases future iPhone models. But Maurice Klahne, senior research analyst at Counterpoint Research, said it seems likely that Apple will transition iPhones to USB-C more widely rather than just region-specifically.

“It is simply too expensive to produce different equipment for different regions,” he said. “And so Apple will probably make the switch everywhere at once.”

What benefits does USB-C offer over Lightning?

The switch to USB-C could bring more perks and convenience to iPhone owners. For example, you can use the same charger that powers other devices, like a MacBook laptop or iPad, to charge your iPhone. There’s also a vast ecosystem of accessories for USB-C, which has been the standard on most electronics for the past decade. A lot of Apple products already rely on USB-C instead of Lightning, such as the iPad Air, iPad Pro, and Apple’s MacBook line.

It’s possible that switching to USB-C will result in faster charging and data transfer, especially on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Kuo reported that only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max support high-speed data transfer over USB-C.

Le Xuan agreed and said Apple will likely do more to separate the regular iPhone 15 from its high-end sibling this year.

“When we move to the Type C switch, we will likely see some differences between Pro, Pro Max and non-Pro Max in terms of charging speed,” he said.

Do I need an Apple-specific USB-C cable?

You don’t need an Apple-made cable to charge your iPhone now that Apple is switching to USB-C. Ultimately, that would defeat the purpose of promoting universal EU charging cables.

But the company could potentially make Apple-certified USB-C cables more beneficial than non-certified alternatives. For example, Kuo reports that Apple will likely optimize chargers that are part of the company’s MFi certification program to provide faster charging speeds. ShrimpApplePro also tweeted in February that cables without MFi certification will have limited charging and data transfer speeds.

Apple has yet to speak out about its plans for the iPhone 15 or future USB-C charging cable beyond comments made at The Wall Street Journal’s conference. But a move like this could help Apple bolster its accessory ecosystem by maintaining some degree of exclusivity as it moves toward universal iPhone chargers.

“Even though their walled garden is no longer walled, they can still make these small tweaks to keep their iOS platform more separate from the Android market,” Klahne said. shared”.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 15 lineup on September 12 during its annual product launch event. Unlike USB-C charging, rumors suggest The new Action button may appear on Pro models, while Dynamic Island is expected to expand to non-Pro versions.