Customers try out new iPhones at an Apple store as the iPhone 14 series goes on sale on September 16, 2022 in Shanghai, China.
VCG | China Visual Group | Getty Images
Apple’s next iPhone is likely to be equipped with USB-C charging, analysts said, after a European law on common chargers moved one step closer to becoming a reality.
On Tuesday, lawmakers in the European Parliament passed a law requiring electronics, including mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the European Union, to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port by the end of 2024 .
Apple currently uses its proprietary Lightning chargers that are different from USB-C. But that could change with the iPhone 15, the next version of its flagship smartphone.
“It’s now inevitable that Apple will have to capitulate and move to USB-C on the iPhone 15 when 2023 arrives,” Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said in a note earlier this week.
“My thinking is that Apple has already moved to USB-C on the MacBook and iPad Pro, so the transition has started. The iPhone 14 was pretty iterative, so the iPhone 15 could be a step up big on design. So it would be a good time to do that. the change,” Wood said in subsequent comments to CNBC.
There are rumors that Apple is exploring USB-C for the iPhone 15, which is what the next device could be called if the traditional naming convention continues.
In May, Bloomberg reported that Apple is testing future iPhone models with USB-C charging, but that they won’t be out until 2023 at the earliest.
Will the iPhone 15 have USB-C charging globally?
If Apple switches to USB-C next year, IDC technology industry analyst Bryan Ma said the US tech giant would make the switch for iPhones globally, not just in the EU.
“Most likely it would make sense for them to take the scale out of moving to this common charger globally rather than having to make individual parts, unless they think they’re really making a lot of money. [money] outside of those chargers and accessories and that kind of thing that’s still worth keeping separate,” Ma said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Wednesday.
“At home, they are already preparing and making preparations for the eventuality of a couple of years from now,” he added.
The change would bring Apple’s charging ports in line with competitors, including Samsung, which already use USB-C.
The EU law has been in the works for around 10 years and looks set to get a final stamp of approval this year.
Lawmakers argue that different charging standards create waste and that the law will mean consumers won’t have to buy a new charger every time they buy a device.
“This is a victory for common sense. Although Apple has a large installed base of devices powered by the lighting cable, the ubiquity of USB-C in all consumer electronics products means that harmonizing USB-C makes a lot of sense,” Wood said.