USBC

Apple is testing iPhones that swap the Lightning port for USB-C, according to a new Bloomberg report from Apple whisperer Mark Gurman. But you shouldn’t expect to see it in this year’s iPhone lineup, as the changeover wouldn’t happen until 2023 “at the earliest,” Gurman says. The report follows reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s tweets this week indicating Apple would swap to USB-C in the second half of 2023, which is presumably when that year’s iPhone lineup will be released. The switch would be a big one, though…

Apple may finally be planning to make one of the most commonly requested changes to the iPhone in 2023. According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 15 will ditch the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. Kuo reached this conclusion after sending a survey to his supply chain sources. He believes that adopting USB-C should improve the iPhone’s transfer and charging speeds, but warns that it will depend on how iOS interacts with the technology. iPhone 15 set to adopt USB-C ports Apple first…

The amazingly versatile USB-C port is more necessary than it’s ever been. From battery charging to ultra-fast data transfers, we’ve gotten used to USB-C, and it has become important to find accessories that include USB-C connectivity. Even some of the best monitors have been a little slow to jump on the USB-C bandwagon, but there are now a number of strong options on the market. After hundreds of monitor reviews, our top USB-C pick is the affordable Dell 27 Ultrathin — although we also have options from multiple…

Apple is preparing to swap the proprietary Lightning port on its iPhones next year for the nearly universally-embraced USB-C, claims company analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a pair of tweets, Kuo said Apple was going to make the change in 2023, basing this claim on an unspecified “survey” (presumably of component manufacturers, from whom Kuo seems to get a lot of his information for predictions about future Apple products). Kuo said that adopting USB-C “could improve iPhone’s transfer and charging speed in hardware designs,…

Robotics engineering student Ken Pillonel has followed up his USB-C iPhone mod with a modified pair of AirPods with a USB-C port for charging — replacing Apple’s proprietary Lightning port. Although the result is simple (USB-C cable goes in, power goes up), it was an engineering challenge that Pillonel says consumed “pretty much all my weekends for a few months.” It comes around a month after he completed a project that brought a Lightning port to an Android phone. Pillonel plans to release a full-length video…

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributor…

Mobile devices are ditching headphone jacks at a brisk clip, so if your new Android smartphone or Apple iPad Pro ships without that precious port, you may have to purchase a wireless headset to listen in on podcasts, music, or video. Or maybe not. You can still use your device's USB--C port with your favorite headphones — if you get your hands on a USB-C headphone adapter. Just plug it into the charging port, and then plug your headphones into the 3.5mm audio jack on the other side of the adapter. It's that easy, and…

The first USB Type-C cables capable of providing huge amounts of power are here: Small retailer Club 3D launched three new cables that can each deliver up to 240 watts of power. Such a power draw means that you should be able to charge most laptops with the new 240W USB-C cable, marking a huge change from the current maximum capabilities of this technology. Club3D USB Type-C cables have been gaining in popularity consistently over the past few years, and the only thing that held them back was their relatively low…

It’s been almost a year since we told you how next-gen USB-C cables would nearly double the amount of power they can carry to 240W, enough to let you ditch the proprietary power brick for all but the beefiest gaming laptops. Now, we’re seeing the first signs of life: the first USB-C 2.1 cables have broken cover with up to 240W of power and up to 40Gbps of data. They’re from a Dutch manufacturer named Club3D (via Tom’s Hardware) that doesn’t sell cables on its website, and they don’t yet seem to be in stock at retailers…

Now that we know this exists, we can't believe it's not a feature on all camera batteries. Chinese company Nitecore is selling replacement batteries for late-model Sony Alpha cameras with USB-C charging built in, so no external charger is required. The UFZ100 battery is a direct replacement for Sony's genuine NP-FZ100, which powers a range of high-end Sony cameras, including the a7 III series, the a9 series, and several others. It runs a near-identical specification, 7.2 V and 2,250 mAh, just a hair under the genuine…