We thought it would be coming, but now it’s finally confirmed: The iPhone 15 is getting a USB-C port. The switch was announced Tuesday at the 2023 Apple Event.
Apple users are currently stuck using a USB-C charger for their laptops and a lightning cable for their iPhones but, with this new upgrade, that’s changing.
The USB-C will help “charging, transferring data, playing audio and video,” an Apple presenter said. “Now, the same product, can charge Mac, iPad, iPhone, and even AirPods Pro 2nd generation, which is updated with a USB-C connector.”
You can even use a USB-C port to charge your AirPods or your Apple Watch directly from your iPhone. The presenter also announced that Apple is “also bringing USB-C to EarPods, so they can work with iPhone 15 seamlessly.” EarPods are what Apple calls their corded headphones. iPhone 15 also, of course, has MagSafe.
As Mashable has previously reported, this might be the change that finally converts Android users. In a survey conducted by cell phone trade-in site SellCell, 44 percent of Android users surveyed said they would switch to the iPhone if the new phone had a USB-C port. Google and Samsung have been charging via USB-C ports for years, along with Apple’s M2 MacBook Air and some recent iPads. We’ll have to wait and see if that survey becomes a reality.
This likely doesn’t come from the kindness of Apple’s heart. Users have been asking for more compatible chargers for years and Apple has been refusing, leading some users to believe it’s simply because if you need two different chargers, you’re going to buy two different chargers and that’s just smart marketing. But the European Union recently passed a law that requires all phones and tablets to be universally compatible by 2024 — meaning Apple is forced to comply.
