Apple set to shift from lightning port to USB Type-C; iPhone 15, Airpods Pro may benefit

After a long period of resisting peer pressure from other companies and sticking to its proprietary lightning port, Apple is set to move away from this technology and adopt the USB Type-C as the standard charging method on its upcoming iPhone 15 series. This would be only the second time in its history that Apple will replace the charging port on its iPhones after it moved away from the 30-pin connector with the iPhone 5 back in 2013.

While Apple is not adopting the new charging port voluntarily, iPhone users could still benefit from it. Here’s how.

Apple’s shift to USB Type-C: Benefits

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter, highlighted the changes that users could stand to benefit from with the shift from lightning port to USB Type-C on iPhones. Users will be able to use one cable with 4 different types of Apple devices - iPhones, Macs, and iPads. While some iPads and Macs already have the USB Type-C port, the iPhones are set to get it this year, when the iPhone 15 launches at the Apple event on September 12.

On the other hand, the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, which features a lightning port, could also shift to USB Type–C. It is only expected to be a small upgrade with a changed port and not a new generation of AirPods.

The shift to USB Type-C could also hold the key to unlocking breakthrough data transfer speeds, with the reported USB 4 Gen 2 protocol benefitting from a Thunderbolt chip, which could potentially also allow up to 150W charging speeds, although it is unlikely that the iPhone 15 would get such a major bump from 20W.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of it all, with the iPhone 15 series, users won’t face the problem of desperately searching for an Apple charger when their iPhone needs juice away from home. They will be able to utilize billions of other non-Apple chargers to power up their iPhones, although it could happen at slower speeds.

Why shift to USB Type-C?

The EU, with its new legislation, has forced Apple’s hand which requires all devices to have a standard charging USB Type-C charging connector that would allow one charger to be used with multiple devices, reducing the e-waste. The EU voted for the same on October 4, 2022, with 602 lawmakers voting in its favour, 13 against it, and 8 voters abstaining, according to a Bloomberg report.

Maltese politician Alex Agius Saliba, who was also the lead negotiator in the parliament, held up a bunch of proprietary cables in one hand, announcing, “We are replacing this pile of chargers with this”, holding up a USB Type-C cable in the other hand.

Apple reportedly began testing USB Type-C iPhones as far back as in May 2022, and now it is set to make this change official with the iPhone 15 series at its “Wonderlust” event on September 12.