iPhone 12 to Be the Last With a Lighting Port, as iPhone 13 Goes Port-Less
Last updated June 16, 2021
- Apple is not planning to adopt the USB-C standard on the iPhone 12 or any future iPhone.
- According to internal rumors, the iPhone 13 will be port-less, featuring no holes whatsoever.
- This decision comes with several pros and cons but has mostly positive aspects considering Apple’s design philosophy.
Apple’s USB-C-based prototypes of the upcoming iPhone 12 won’t come into fruition, as the tech giant preferred to retain the Lighting port for yet another generation. This is the same decision that Apple has been taking for six years in the row, and also the reason why they were at the receiving end of criticism from the EU Parliament recently. The EU feels that if they don’t make the adoption of USB-C mandatory, Apple will never do it on their own, and so they are in the process of voting for it.
Thus, Apple has what seems to be their last chance to use the Lightning connector on the iPhone 12, but for the iPhone 13, their freedom to choose whatever they prefer will be nullified. So, what they decided to do about it? Make the 13th series completely port-less and have the users rely solely on wireless charging. This info was shared by various insiders, so it is considered to be a relatively reliable rumor. If this is proven true, then we may never see an iPhone device using the USB-C port.
☝️ yep.
One portless iPhone coming next year.
Never USB-C. Eventually, they’ll all be portless.
— jon prosser (@jon_prosser) May 13, 2020
Does this mean that Apple is doing that to get on EU’s nerves? Of course not. The idea of going completely port-less has several advantages in smartphone design. First, the waterproofing gets less expensive and easier to achieve at the levels Apple likes to play. Secondly, ports are openings in the phone’s body, and any gaps can be considered weak points from a structural perspective. And then, there are the slick looks that you can get from an entirely port-less device, and design is something that Apple cares about at the utmost level, with the only exception being the recent iPhone SE 2020.
After all, we’re already using eSIMs. Many flagships don’t support SD Cards or the 3.5mm headphone jack, people love to use wireless buds instead of corded ones, and wireless charging is getting really common even in the midrange. Meizu has already gone port-less with the release of the “Zero” last year, and so did Vivo with the “Apex.” Sure, these manufacturers aren’t prestigious enough to set the trend on the market, but it definitely can be considered an omen of what’s about to come. If the Apple iPhone 13 is port-less, prepare for a new trend in the smartphone world where holes will be considered elements of outdated design.
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