We have been lax in terms of our weekly iPhone rumour mongering of late, so let’s take care of that right now, with noted industry analyst Ming Chi-Kuo sharing some information about next year’s device on Twitter.

Kuo, who is normally a reliable source when it comes to Apple rumours, says the company may finally be changing the charging port design on the 2023 iPhone, with a switch from the well-known Lightning port to a USB Type-C variety.

The analyst explains that the switch to a standard that most smartphone makers use these days, particularly on flagship devices could lead to improvements in terms of charging capabilities, but tempering the statement by noting that iOS compatibility may play a factor here.

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My latest survey indicates that 2H23 new iPhone will abandon Lightning port and switch to USB-C port. USB-C could improve iPhone's transfer and charging speed in hardware designs, but the final spec details still depend on iOS support.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 11, 2022

Another potential reason for the switch, not mentioned by Kuo, is the fact that Apple has faced increasing pressure as regards its use of Lighting ports in the EU, with regulators in that region wanting the Cupertino-based outfit to adopt USB Type-C like everyone else.

As such, the company may simply be getting ahead of the upcoming changes that regulators may eventually force it to make.

Either way the changes should be welcome by most consumers should it materialise when a new iPhone is announced next year. That said, those who have purchased several accessories, dongles and other peripherals that are built specifically with the Lightning port in mind may be a little peeved about having to buy new hardware.

A more important question, however, is whether Apple will choose to ship the USB Type-C cable in the box when the new iPhone is launched.

For now we will need to wait to see whether Kuo’s report comes to fruition.

[Image – Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash]