The legal requirement would kick in with the iPhone 16 in 2024, but there have been repeated reports that Apple plans to make the switch a year earlier, in the iPhone 15.Īnalyst Ming-Chi Kuo said back in May that supply-chain research pointed to Apple making the switch from Lightning to USB-C in the second half of 2023.

While it’s theoretically possible that Apple could switch to the USB-C port only on European model iPhones, this would be an unnecessary complication, and it seems far likelier that it will make the change worldwide. Many Apple owners would welcome being able to use USB-C chargers and cables for all their devices.Īpple will also be effectively forced to make the switch to USB-C for its 2024 iPhone lineup, as that’s the year in which it will become a legal requirement for all smartphones sold within the 27 countries of the EU. The Lightning connector in the iPhone is now something of an anomaly in the lineup. Apple was an early adopter of this port in MacBooks, and most of its iPads have swapped out Lightning for USB-C. However, the dreaded microUSB port has been superseded by USB-C, which is as easy to use as a Lightning port. When the industry standard was microUSB – a unidirectional plug and port which was almost universally hated for being awkward to insert – Apple had the vastly better bidirectional Lightning port. It has been widely speculated that Apple will choose the iPhone 15 to make the switch, a year ahead of it becoming mandatory for all smartphones sold within the European Union, but Gurman’s statement is the strongest we’ve seen to date … BackgroundĪpple has always gone its own way on iPhone connectors, something which has proven a benefit in the past. An iPhone 15 USB-C port, in place of a Lightning one, is “essentially a lock,” says Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter.

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