Apple may use USB-C 2.0 in iPhone 15 series, Thunderbolt in iPhone 15 Pros

According to news report, Apple Executive Greg Joswiak confirmed transition to USB type-C on iPhones in order to comply with the regulation approved by European Parliament

The next generation Apple iPhones are not coming before September 2023, yet the upcoming smartphones are making headlines on the web. It is because of the recent announcement by the European Parliament to regularise USB type-C as common charging port across electronic devices from 2024. Following the announcement, Apple Executive Greg Joswiak had reportedly confirmed transition to USB type-C on iPhones in order to comply with the regulation approved by the European Parliament.

As time progresses, new reports emerge on the web around the iPhone 15 series. Latest is the report on the USB-C standard by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a series of tweets on Thursday, the analyst said that Apple will abandon lightning port and switch to USB-C port from the second half of 2023. According to Kuo, Apple will use two different USB-C ports on its iPhones for next year. He speculated that iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have a standard USB-C port, with USB 2.0 speeds, same as the current Lightning connector. Whereas, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have high transmission speed, supporting at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3.

For the uninitiated, the European Parliament on October 4 passed a rule standardising the charging port on electronic items. It has selected USB Type-C (also known as USB-C) as the standard port. According to the regulation, all mobile phones, tablets, and cameras sold in the EU must have a USB-C port by the end of 2024. However, for laptops the deadline has been set for 2026.

Unlike its previous iterations, the USB-C has a small oval port with no fixed up or down orientations. Its symmetrical connector makes it easy to plug in. Besides, it is among the industry-standard connectors capable of transmitting both data and power on a single cable. Moreover, it supports fast charging (100W) required by large electronic devices such as laptops and offers super-fast data throughput (40 Gbps). Not just data and power, USB-C also supports sending simultaneous video signals – up to 8K resolution.

Different manufacturers use USB-C for different utilities. One may have a USB-C port on their device but still cannot use all features and functions such as host device charging and video out. Therefore, the EU has made it mandatory for the manufacturers of electronic items to put a dedicated label to inform consumers about the charging characteristics of new devices.