Apple ‘testing’ USB-C iPhones

According to a recent Bloomberg claim from Apple whisperer Mark Gurman, Apple is testing iPhones that replace the Lightning connector with USB-C.

However, don’t expect to see it in this year’s iPhone range, since the switchover isn’t ready until 2023 “at the earliest,” according to Gurman.

The news comes after Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweets that Apple will switch to USB-C in the second half of 2023 when the iPhone lineup for that year is to be announced.  

The switch would be significant, though not entirely unexpected. Apple has already switched to USB-C for the iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Mini.

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In September, the EU unveiled a plan that would mandate the inclusion of USB-C connections in many devices, including smartphones – Gurman claims that this law was “a fundamental driver” for Apple’s decision to contemplate the change. Moving to USB-C, which has greater transfer speeds than Lightning, has technological advantages as well.  

Apple rumored to be working on a portless iPhone, according to Gurman, who claims that Apple has “worked on iPhones without any charging port” in “recent years.”

However, his Friday report does not indicate that a portless iPhone would be ready anytime soon.  

A request for comment from Apple not immediately returned. The Lightning port initially introduced by Apple with the iPhone 5 in 2012.