2023/9/6
iPhone 15 USB-C PORT Hub
USB-C is coming to iPhones, and it will likely start with the iPhone 15
By Tom Pritchard
(Image credit: Ice Universe / Twitter)
Apple has long been the outlier where charging cables are concerned. While other phone makers switched to micro USB, then USB-C, Apple stuck with its own proprietary Lightning cable. But not even Apple can avoid the winds of change — the company has confirmed that iPhones of the future will fall in line and feature a USB-C port. And word is it’ll be starting with the iPhone 15.
Of course, Apple doesn’t really have a choice. New EU rules are forcing Apple to fall in with every other phone maker, and adopt the USB-C port before the end of 2024. However, rumors point to Apple ripping off the proverbial band-aid quickly and making the switch from the aging Lightning port with during its Apple September Event — more than a year before the deadline.
Here’s what we know about the iPhone 15 with USB-C, and what that means for Apple going forward.
What is the EU USB-C mandate?
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Late last year the EU passed legislation enforcing a common charging port on a bunch of electronic devices — including phones, tablets and cameras. The idea here is to cut down on e-waste, ensuring people can continue to use their old chargers long after they switch to a new device.
That common port is USB-C, a standard that is common but not quite universal. In the smartphone business just about everyone uses USB-C on their products, though Apple has clung to the proprietary Lightning connection since its launch back in 2012.
The deadline for adopting USB-C differs depending on the device, with laptops being given until 2026 to comply. However Apple has until the end of 2024 to comply with the new smartphone rules.
(Image credit: Ivan Shenets | Shutterstock)
The EU’s push for a common charging standard is nothing new. Back in 2010 EU standards bodies pushed to have microUSB as the universal cell phone charger, which prompted large groups of phone makers to ditch proprietary cables.
However compliance was voluntary, and this allowed Apple to keep its own proprietary charging port for as long as it has.
Phone makers then eventually moved away from microUSB in favor of USB-C, and while things seemed quiet, the push to legislate a common charger never really went away. There were several years of discussion, and it wasn’t until January 2022 that the first draft legislation was published. The wheels of politics move very slowly, after all. Several months later, in October 2022, the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of this new rule.
Apple was vocally critical of the idea of a common charger, even before the first draft legislation was written, arguing that mandating one connection over another “stifles innovation rather than encouraging it” and that such a rule would “harm consumers in Europe and around the world”.
The company also said it agreed with the EU’s environmental goals at the time, but has maintained on multiple occasions that ditching Lighting would cause more e-waste than it prevents.
Despite that opposition, Apple has confirmed it will comply with the EU’s ruling, and we’ve already started to see images of what claim to be iPhone 15 USB-C ports. While the laws only mandate the use of USB-C within the EU, it’s likely that this will have a ripple effect across the entire planet.
A number of countries have already suggested following the EU’s example and mandating USB-C charging — including India, South Korea and the U.S. It’s also incredibly unlikely that Apple would bother developing a USB-C iPhone that was only sold in the EU. It’s much easier, and more logical, to have a single product line that’s available everywhere.
So the question isn’t if, it’s about when. And all rumors point toward the iPhone 15 finally making the jump to USB-C.
IPhone 15 With USB-C: How This Affects iPhone 15
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While the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are both expected to swap Lightning for USB-C, it’s been claimed that the changes may be purely cosmetic. Many rumors have claimed that the USB-C port on both phones will be limited to USB 2.0 data transfer speeds — or 480 Mbps.
That’s also the same speed as Lightning, which means this isn’t really an upgrade, so to speak. While it lets you use the same charging Cable as your MacBook or Samsung Galaxy S23, there are a bunch of external accessories that USB 2.0 is just too slow to work with. External displays are a very good example.
But it may not be all bad news. Various leaks suggest that the iPhone 15 will be coming with a braided USB-C cable in the box — color-coded to match the iPhone 15 it’s bundled with. Not only will the braided design make this cable more durable, it’s also claimed that it will be 1.6m (5ft 2 in) long, and offer support for up to 60W charging speeds. However the cable may be limited to the same USB 2.0 data speeds as the iPhone 15’s USB-C port.
Rumors claim we’re only looking at maximum charging speed of 35W, but this means that you could use the cable for other high-powered devices. Be it a MacBook Pro or a smartphone with much faster charging than Apple will have to offer.
iPhone 15 With USB-C: How This Affects iPhone 15 Pro
(Image credit: Apple )
While the iPhone 15 may not get a speed boost from the switch to USB-C, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max might be a little luckier. Rumor has it that Apple could offer the phones USB 3.2, with 40GBps data transfer speeds as standard, and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.
Thunderbolt 3 is the bigger deal, of course, and could offer the iPhone 15 Pro series the ability to output 4K video to an external screen. The more advanced version of the USB standard should also offer better support for external accessories, and combined they have a chance to turn the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max into serious productivity devices. All in a significantly more portable form factor than an iPad or a MacBook.
The same 35W charging speed rumors apply to the iPhone 15 Pro series, but it’s unclear whether they’ll come with a more advanced cable than the iPhone 15. It’s speculated that Apple may include the same slow cable as the iPhone 15 in the box, and then sell a more powerful Thunderbolt cable for an additional fee.
iPhone 15 With USB-C: Made For iPhone
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While the switch to USB-C on iPhones sounds like a good thing, there have been some concerns that Apple could ruin the whole transition. How? By implementing a version of the “Made for iPhone” certification program specifically designed for USB-C.
Made for iPhone is a program where Apple certifies cables and accessories in the name of quality and safety — while also earning itself royalties on each sale. If you try and use a non-certified accessory with an iPhone right now means you have to deal with limitations — notably lower charging speeds.
In recent years this only applied to Lightning, so USB-C products like iPads and MacBooks didn’t have to contend with such restrictions. So it feels awfully suspicious that Apple would reintroduce this program right when the iPhone, which accounted for 52% of its revenue in 2022, is making the switch to USB-C.
It even got to the point where EU figures warned Apple against this tactic, claiming that it was illegal under the same rules that mandate the USB-C connection.
At the moment it’s unclear whether the Made for iPhone program is making the transition to USB-C as well. Early leaks of the alleged iPhone 15 USB-C ports featured a mysterious chip that some speculated could be related to Made for iPhone — though later leaks pinpointed that chip as a Thunderbolt Retimer chip. The recent iPhone 15 USB-C cable leaks also claimed that the bundled cable wouldn’t be Made for iPhone. If Apple isn’t certifying its own first party accessories, it suggests that may not be a requirement.
Unfortunately there’s no way to know for sure, and we’ll have to wait for Apple to clear the air following the iPhone 15 release date.
Will We See Other USB-C iPhones?
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If switching the iPhone 15 to USB-C wasn’t enough, there have been rumors that older iPhones could also make the transition as well. Two new iPhone models have appeared in the code for the tvOS 17 beta, with the names iPhone 14,1 and iPhone 14,9 — with “iPhone 14” being the long-standing codename for devices powered by an A15 Bionic chipset — better known to many as iPhone 13 series as well as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
The rumors relating to this are relying on a very large amount of guesswork, but odds are these phones aren’t going to be the iPhone Flip or a future iPhone SE — particularly since the iPhone SE 2022 already runs on an A15 Bionic chipset.
You also have to consider that wording in the EU’s USB-C mandate seemingly forbids the sale of any smartphone not using USB-C after the end of 2024. Since Apple often discontinues an iPhone roughly three years after its initial launch, such a rule could prevent the sale of iPhone 14s a year earlier than normal.
Pro models typically get officially discontinued after a single year, meaning that EU-imposed restriction likely wouldn’t matter. Which may explain why only two mysterious new iPhones appeared instead of four.
So switching the iPhone 14 to USB-C this year would be a logical choice, albeit one that we don’t have any evidence for right now.
iPhone 15 USB-C PORT hub: The Pros And Cons Of Switching iPhone to USB-C
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There’s more to the USB-C switch than having a standard connector. While that would be the primary benefit of Apple making the switch, USB-C is also capable of a lot more than Apple’s Lightning connector — particularly where charging and data transfer speed are concerned.
Currently Lightning cables are limited to USB 2.0 speeds, which is 480 Mbps, while USB-C has an 80 Gbps maximum speed — roughly 166 times faster. Apple’s phones currently max out at 20W charging speeds, while USB Power Delivery offers up to 240W. Very few phones offer more than 50W charging, but Apple is still lagging behind phones like the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra, which can charge at 45W. Access to faster charging speeds can prove to be a big upgrade, and give Apple the chance to stay more competitive going forward.
It’s worth noting that these speeds are not guaranteed. The iPad 10, the first entry-level iPad to offer USB-C, remains limited to USB 2.0 speeds and rumor is that thje iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will suffer the same fate. However that shouldn’t be as big an issue for a premium product like the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro.
USB-C also unlocks the possibility of better support for accessories, including external storage, hubs and docs, external displays, keyboards and mice, and so on. Sure all of these things are already available on iPads, and are arguably more useful on a bigger screen. But adding that enhanced connectivity to the iPhone through USB-C gives users more choice and flexibility in how they use their phones.
Of course, the major drawback is that current Lightning accessories and cables will be essentially useless. That means users will need to either rely on adapters to keep going or replace any accessories that still require a physical connection. And that’s not great for consumers or the environment.
Still, after a brief period of upheaval, as people get used to the change, the benefits of the USB-C could easily outweigh the drawbacks.
What About The Portless iPhone?
(Image credit: Apple)
There have long been rumors that Apple has been developing a portless iPhone, which would be completely wireless and wouldn’t need a charging port — be it Lightning or USB-C.
The EU’s mandate specifically says that USB-C is only required when wired charging is involved. So Apple could skip over USB-C altogether, and offer a phone that relies on wireless charging and data transfer, without falling foul of EU regulations.
The interesting thing about this is that it means there likely wouldn’t be a repeat of the EU’s mandate in the future. The entire smartphone industry shifted to Qi wireless charging several years ago, Apple included, so wireless chargers are compatible across platforms.
Likewise, Apple’s MagSafe technology forms the basis of the new Qi2 wireless charging standard, which should bring the benefits of Apple’s wireless magnetic charger to other devices. That could, in turn, offer faster wireless charging speeds for iPhone users with non-MagSafe Qi2 chargers — though this isn’t confirmed.
There’s no word on when the portless iPhone might arrive, if it even exists. So the odds are the iPhone will be sticking with USB-C for the immediate future.
Passage source from https://www.tomsguide.com/news/iphone-15-usb-c-port-everything-we-know-so-far