iPhone 15 / Pro, iPads, AirPods & other products will switch to USB Type-C

Everyone knows that while the iPhone still uses the Lightning port, Apple has been converting many of its devices to USB Type-C in recent years. Apple now includes a USB Type-C port on every Mac it currently sells, from the MacBook Air to the MacBook Pro. Other devices with USB Type-C ports include the 2018 iPad Pro, the 2020 iPad Air, the sixth-generation iPad mini, the Studio Display, and the Pro Display XDR. Rumours have recently circulated that at least five more Apple products and accessories will also switch to USB-C in the future. This includes the iPhone 15 / Pro.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 14 will continue to use the Lightning port. However, not the iPhone 15. At the moment, Apple is testing the USB Type-C port on its iPhones. Just last month, the European Union announced an agreement to introduce a new law that will make USB Type-C the universal charging port for all new smartphones, tablets, headphones and other electronics by the fall of 2024.

Apple plans to update its entry-level iPad with a USB-C port, Gurman said. Apple may release the 10th-generation iPad in September. With the introduction of the 10th-generation iPad, Apple will complete the transition to USB Type-C for its entire iPad lineup in four years.

Once the iPhone switches to USB Type-C, Ming-Chi Kuo expects other Apple accessories to use the USB Type-C interface in the future, including the AirPods charging case. Apple will release the second-generation AirPods Pro later this year. However, there has been debate over whether the new charging case will continue to use the Lightning port or switch to a USB Type-C port.

Another accessory Kuo predicts to switch from Lightning to USB Type-C in the future is the MagSafe battery pack for iPhone 12 and newer. Finally, Ming-Chi Kuo also expects three accessories Apple provides for the Mac, the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse, to use USB Type-C ports in the future. But all three accessories are currently equipped with a Lightning port for charging.

With the exception of the iPhone 15, which will launch in the second half of 2023, there is no clear timetable for other Apple products to switch to USB Type-C.