It has recently been leaked that the upcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be using a USB-C connector instead of Lightning, ending Apple’s trend of proprietary connectors on iPhones for the past 16 years.
This rumour was soft confirmed by user “@URedditor” on twitter on February 16, 2023 here showing images of the claimed ‘real thing.’ However, it is possible Apple will not allow full functionality of any third party USB-C cable or charger on these iPhone’s. Picture is shown below.
USB-C is a very capable and smart connector allowing variable power delivery based on the device’s handshake request which allows for fast charging on any device that supports it. Apple’s current Lightning connector uses IC chips to verify the connector is “Apple certified” and only connectors with Apple’s IC chips are officially supported.
The story about Apple limiting third-party USB-C cables is only a rumour at this stage, but based on Apple’s track history, this is very likely going to be the case. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for this though as Apple’s current use of USB-C in recent iPad’s and MacBook’s do not include an IC chip. But recent developments have revealed Apple is creating an IC chip for USB-C and if completed means users will likely need to use official Apple USB-C cables and chargers to get their full functionality and speed even if the third-party peripherals are completely capable.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Ko has stated the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will be limited to USB 2.0 speeds, which is the same as Lightning despite USB-C being far more capable. This is followed by mentioning the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will likely use much faster USB-C speeds, which will follow the trend of Apple limiting ‘cheaper’ entry level devices as they have done with the iPad 10th generation and Pro where despite both using USB-C, the Pro is capable of much higher speeds.
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