There are plenty of iPhone features that users have forever been crying out for, from the nixing of the notch to everyone's favourite: better battery life. But one of the most longstanding requests is the addition of USB-C – which is now a reality (providing you have a spare $80K behind the sofa).
A modder has successfully replaced the Lightning port on a 2017 iPhone X with a USB-C version, which can be used for charging, data transfers and connecting peripherals. And a few weeks after the original video (below) went viral, Ken Pillonel has put the device up for auction. (Don't have $80k to spare? Check out the best early Apple Black Friday deals.)
While it might not seem the most exciting hack in the world (especially when there are wild concepts like this sliding iPhone doing the rounds), it's easy to see why users are so keen for USB-C, which has already hit the iPad line-up, to make its way to the iPhone. Mainly, it would reduce the need for users to carry multiple cables around, allowing for one wire to rule them all. It also offers much faster charging and data transferring speeds than the current Lightning port. Plus, it's reversible – which means you could use your iPhone to charge other objects (like, say, your AirPods).
The body of the iPhone had to be altered to accommodate a larger port (Image credit: Ken Pillonel)
While over $80K might sound a lot for a 2017 iPhone, the modification was no mean feat. Pillonel had to reverse engineer Apple’s Lighting Connector, implement a custom circuit board and, of course, alter the body of the iPhone to allow for a larger port. In a more detailed video (below), Pillonel explained the whole process. If you fancy having a go yourself (and don't fancy bidding in the auction), he's been kind enough to offer an open-source repository on GitHub.
There are plenty of rumours that suggest the iPhone 14 will be the first to finally adopt USB-C. But then again, there were similar rumours about the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 12, and the iPhone 11, and – you get the idea. Don't fancy waiting to find out if 2022 is the year it'll finally happen? Check out the best iPhone 13 deals below, and be sure to take a look at the best Apple deals available now.
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.
