The news about Apple complying with the EU’s USB-C mandate brought a smile to a lot of Apple fans that had USB-C devices with them. Well, even with all the regulations, Apple has found a way to keep its tech proprietary. A recent report suggests that the USB-C port of the iPhone 15 will solely rely on the MFi certification.
That means you will not be able to get the full functionality of the USB-C port unless you get special cables. In other words, the data transfer rate and charging speed of the iPhone 15 will not be the same with Apple-certified cables and regular cables.
Made for iPhone Lives On With iPhone 15
The information about iPhone 15 requiring special cables comes from ShrimpApplePro. And if you have followed his previous leaks closely, you probably know that the leaker is highly accurate regarding iPhone tips. In fact, the tipster was on point with the Dynamic Island feature and RAM increment on the iPhone 14.
However, it is not like the report is just from one source. It also closely follows the conjecture from Ming-Chi Kuo, a supply chain analyst. He has shared most of the conversation about the iPhone 15’s USB-C till now.
Back in November, Kuo tweeted that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus would top out at USB 2.0 speeds. And in case you didn’t know, the Apple Lightning standard has the same transfer speed. But the most interesting info that the supply chain analyst shared is that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (Ultra) will top out at USB-C 3.2.
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Moreover, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will also have Thunderbolt 3 speeds. And what ShrimpApplePro reports is that accessories are already being manufactured based on MFi standards. So, that means any cable without the MFi certification will offer limited data and charging speeds.
What Does MFi Mean?
Wondering what all the fuss about MFi is? Well, MFi stands for “Made for iPod.” Even though iPods are no longer a thing, the certification program is still here. It first came to light back in 2005. Apple utilized the same certification to expand its device offerings.
Apple rebranded the MFi standard in 2012 and introduced it as the Lightning standard with the iPhone 5. That is basically when Apple shifted from 30-PIN connectors to Lightning connectors. And with that, there came standardized cables.
Basically, with MFi, Apple states all the accessories and gadgets that are safe for Apple users. That includes speakers, headphones, and even smart home devices. One caveat to the program is that the accessory makers pay a licensing fee of about $100/year.
This fee applies to basically electronic accessory manufacturers that want to officially sell accessories for Apple products.
Now, it is not like Apple is the only brand that is standardizing products for its devices. A lot of Android manufacturers do the same thing with charging cables. Under the Oppo brand, OnePlus uses a red cable motif as its charging standard. It offers a faster charging rate than the rest of the Android USB accessories by doing so.
You will notice the same thing with the SuperVOOQ technology that OnePlus has recently adopted. That is, you have to buy the right charging adapter and cable to get the maxed-out charging speeds. If you have a OnePlus 11, you can test it out by yourself. See whether it charges faster without the same cable that comes in the box.
However, it is true that Apple gets the most attention with its standard. And it will get even more hate if the report about the iPhone 15 appears to be true.