Launching the iPhone 12 with a USB-C port is unlikely – Apple has been sticking with its own Lightning port in almost all of its handheld devices for a long time, and we would not expect the new devices to be different to be.
In early 2020, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the introduction of a ‘standard’ charging medium, but as one leaker suggested, “Apple will go portless before going USB-C”.
Apple’s introduction of USB-C is probably a matter of pride at this point, and we’d also expect it to go for a portable design (that uses wireless charging for power) before using USB-C.
Despite Apple trying to avoid USB-C, the modern smartphone standard, the port would provide many benefits for the new iPhone. Apple probably knows this too, because the iPad Pro models now use USB-C.
Here we will descend into Fantasy Land, to a place where Apple as we know it is completely different, and present this mystical iPhone 12 that comes with a USB-C port. These are all the ways that iPhone 12 would be better than the ones we’re likely getting with Lightning.
1. Charge much faster
Lightning ports simply do not transfer power as fast as USB-C. Business point: the iPhone 11 charges at 18W, while the Xiaomi Mi 10 uses Ultra USB-C to charge at a whopping 120W. Even viewing non-top-end USB-C phones is just 30W or 65W charging.
This means that the iPhone takes much longer to charge than an Android phone, which can be annoying for people who have not wanted to pack their phone for centuries.
Sure, Apple has found a way to compensate for this problem – but it’s by giving iPhones small batteries so it doesn ‘t take that long to charge them. However, that is not exactly a perfect solution.
If an iPhone used a USB-C port, it could have charged much faster, allowing you to charge a large battery quickly, so overnight charging is a thing of the past.
2. Faster data transfer
A USB-C port is not only faster for charging things, but it also speeds up data transfer.
Most people probably send files and images wirelessly now, and even if you use cables you probably do not send enough to require a faster transmission speed, but some users will benefit from it. If you have shot a lot of videos on your iPhone and want to send them to your iPad or computer for editing together, you will appreciate that extra speed.
For the few people who actually need this super-fast data transfer speed, an iPhone 12 with USB-C port would give them the capability they would otherwise miss.
3. All peripherals would work on all devices
If you have ever transferred from an iPhone to an Android device (or vice versa), or even just bought a tablet from the opposite team to your smartphone, you will have found that most peripherals you have purchased do not can enable both.
Selfie sticks, tripods, certain audio cables, solar chargers, some power banks and more are sometimes sold in ‘iPhone’ and ‘Android’ variants, complete with cables that only work for that device.
If Apple turned to using USB-C ports in all their devices (an idea that has already been flirted with in the iPad Pro), the gadgets you buy in the future will work on all your devices.
This saves you money by stopping buying multiple peripherals and making it easier to resell them or pass them on to friends when you no longer need them.
4. Much less e-waste
If you have an iPhone and an iPad Pro, or an Android phone and a standard iPad, you will need two different chargers – is not that just a little baffling?
People should be required to have as few chargers as possible, and given that you can charge some wearables, a lot of headphones and soon the PS5 controller all with USB-C, it makes sense for iPhones to join the party.
Apparently Apple is not considering putting a charger in the box with iPhones, a laudable change to break on e-waste, but it would be great if consumers did not have to buy a Lightning cable because they already had the right charger.
E-waste is probably a big problem, with an estimated million tons of power supplies being produced every year, and that situation is partly because you need a different charger for your iPhone than for anything else.
In our fantasy world, the iPhone 12 has USB-C, so we do not need a separate cable for it. To say that global warming in this magical land is not a problem at all, so it may be a sham.
