Apple is rumoured to be testing USB-C iPhones

In typical Apple stubbornness, the company many times refused to switch the iPhone to a USB-C port over the years. The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro series, as well as the SE 2022, all include Apple’s proprietary Lightning port. Users, online publications, and even the European Union have all called for Apple to switch its smartphones to USB-C. According to a new rumour making the rounds, the long-awaited transition will take place in 2023, with the expected release of the iPhone 15. A new report adds fuel to the fire, claiming that Apple is actually testing this change internally.

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple has been internally testing iPhone models with USB-C charging ports for at least a few months. The iPhone 14 is expected to retain the Lightning connector this year, so any change would not occur until 2023 at the earliest.

This change would not only help Apple comply with impending European regulations, but it would also bring the iPhone in line with Apple’s other hardware products — the iPad and Mac lineups abandoned Lightning ports years ago in favour of USB-C. Furthermore, while the Type-C port is physically larger than the Lightning port, it would allow for faster charging and transfer speeds if Apple decides to include it in its phones.

Apple is also working on an adapter that will allow new iPhone USB-C buyers to use their older Lightning accessories (though we’re confident iPhone owners will have enough Android friends to borrow a cable or two). When it’s released, it’ll most likely look like the famous Lightning to 3.5mm dongle that Apple shipped when it first removed the headphone jack in the iPhone 7. Another unanswered question is whether it will be included in iPhone 15 boxes.

Rumours of USB-C coming to the iPhone have been circulating for years, and while this one comes from a reporter with deep connections to good intel, it may have no bearing on whether next year’s iPhone will include the port. Still, if it happens, it will herald a new era for Apple’s Mac, iPad, accessory, and iPhone ecosystems.