The iPhone 15 will be the first iPhone ever to ship with a USB-C charging port, ending Apple’s decades-long love affair with the Lightning port…

The case for Apple switching its iPhones over to USB Type C has been on the cards for years. Apple’s Lightning port is currently too slow for efficiently moving 48MP RAW photos from the phone to a computer, in fact, WiFi is quicker. But until recently, Apple has dug its heels in despite claims the iPhone 14 series would make the switch.

With the iPhone 15, says Mark Gurman, all of this will change. Following new EU regulation that requires ALL phones sold in the block from 2024 onwards to feature USB Type C charging ports, Apple’s hand has effectively been forced. But there is still another twist in this story…

iPhone 15 USB-C Charging “All But” Confirmed

The EU mandate states that ALL phones sold in the region have to use USB Type C by autumn (or Fall) 2024. Given this time frame, Apple wouldn’t necessarily have to add USB Type C to the iPhone 15 which, interestingly, is now rumored to feature a new periscope lens system. which, interestingly, is now rumored to feature a new periscope lens system.. It could hold off on making the switch until the release of the iPhone 14 in 2024 which would likely get a release date around the time regulation kicked in.

But Apple is apparently keen to make the switch early. Why? Gurman says that it wants to switch its iPhones – and iPads – over to USB Type C a year early so that it can claim that the switchover was its idea, not the EU’s. But Apple’s use of USB Type C will apparently be “short-lived” as the company’s wider plans for charging on iPhone – and iPad – do not require any charging ports whatsoever.

A Portless, Wireless Charging Future For iPhones

How can a phone ship with no charging ports? Simple: MagSafe wireless charging. There have been rumors of a portless iPhone for years but it now appears that Apple will use the switch to USB-C as a stopgap, buying it time to bulk out MagSafe’s charging speeds, before switching its iPhones over to purely wireless charging in either 2024 or 2025.

But for this to happen, and actually work, Apple will need to make MagSafe charging A LOT faster. Currently, MagSafe’s wireless charging speeds top out at 15W. Of course, Apple’s wireless charging tech is adaptive, so it changes the power as your phone gets fuller. But to replace a wired charging option, Apple will need to double or triple MagSafe’s top-end charting speeds.

I use MagSafe to charge my iPhone 13. But I charge it overnight, usually spanning anywhere from six to eight hours. If I were to use it for a quick top-up during the day, well, that just wouldn’t work – it is far too slow, especially when compared to some of the ultra-fast wireless charging abilities available on OPPO and OnePlus phones.

Apple’s MagSafe Will Get Faster Because It Has To…

But Apple knows this and given its focus on keeping the iPhone as user-friendly as possible, I don’t see it making the switch to 100% wireless charging until it has the technology to make the switch seamlessly. This means we’ll likely see some massive improvements in MagSafe during the next couple of years – more speed, more features, etc.

This is similar to what it did with the headphone jack. People went crazy when Apple removed it from the iPhone. But as we all now know, Apple was essentially correct. The move, while controversial at the time, was a masterclass in market-defining vision. It also helped Apple create an additional $23 billion revenue stream in the form of its AirPods.

And once Apple has the tech in place, a beefed-up MagSafe standard, all of its other “mobile” products will make the switch over to purely wireless charging, meaning its iPads. In addition to this, Gurman reckons Apple’s iPad could make the switch to USB-C before the iPhone 15, meaning the first Apple USB-C iPad could launch in 2023.

Apple Watch and its AirPods are already, technically, MagSafe-powered, although both currently use USB-C for charging purposes. Given how they’re used differently, things will likely stay as they currently are in Apple’s wearable division of products.