Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple analyst claims that the iPhone will keep its Lightning port and won’t switch to the USB-C standard in the immediate future.
No USB-C on the iPhone in the near future
The company has no intention of embracing a connectivity standard that is already included in numerous current smartphones. In recent years, almost all iPads also feature USB-C as the primary connector. The iPad Air and iPad Pro have a USB-C port that, in addition to charging, allows hard drives to be connected.
In addition to this 7.9-inch tablet, there is a whole myriad of Apple accessories and products that continue to use Lightning. From the Mac’s Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, to all the AirPods and Beats headphones, to the Apple TV remote and iPod touch, this port debuted in 2012 is still very much present. And, of course, there’s the iPhone.
iPhone 13 will come with a Lightning port probably
The USB-C standard has some issues though. It is very easy to find USB-C cables that do not support fast charging. This situation makes Apple not particularly excited about bringing USB-C to the iPhone.
There were portless iPhone rumors in recent years, putting an end to the Lightning port. There are certainly plenty of clues to believe in this portless iPhone. Kuo gives us clues as to what could happen after the disappearance of the Lightning port:
“If the iPhone abandons Lightning in the future, it may directly adopt the portless design with MagSafe support instead of using a USB-C port. At present, the MagSafe ecosystem is not mature enough, so the iPhone will continue to use the Lightning port in the foreseeable future.”
Maybe the answer lies in the Smart Connector. However, as with USB-C, Kuo does not consider it ready for iPhone 13. The analyst himself stated a year and a half ago that we would see a portless iPhone in 2021.
The future of the iPhone port may seem uncertain. But in a sea of doubt over USB-C or possibilities for a portless iPhone, Lightning seems to hold its place.