iPhone 15 Pro USB-C: leaked photo suggests Apple will ditch Lightning port

The alleged photo appears to confirm several rumors, while the reliable tipster promises more to come

(Credit: Apple)

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: iPhone 15 USB-C

• 📸 A leaked image shows the iPhone 15 Pro USB-C port, brushed metal sides

• 👍 The leaker, Unknownz21, has a limited, but bulletproof, history

• 🤔 iPhone 15 Pro USB-C ports have been rumored, but no actual images seen yet

(Credit: Unknownz21)

Apple switching to USB-C looks all but confirmed for 2023. Following renders from last week’s iPhone 15 Pro leak, Twitter user Unknownz21, who has a short, but accurate, leak history tweeted a purported image of the bottom of the iPhone 15 Pro, showing off a USB-C port, as well as a brushed metal finished for the frame of the phone, which we expect will be made of titanium, as we’ve discussed in our coverage of the iPhone 15 Pro Max release date.

Unknownz21 🌈 @URedditor

That’s cute. Anyway, here’s an actual close up of the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro. No imagination or rendering required.

Ian Zelbo @ianzelbo

iPhone 15 CADs show USB-C! I never thought I would see the day https://t.co/dLhun9DItD

iPhone 15 Pro leaks: Unknownz21’s credibility

Unknownz21 was, well, unknown to me prior to this leak, but a story in AppleInsider covering the leaked image says they have been a reliable source in the past, but with a short history. Previous accurate call-outs by the leaker have included releasing iOS 14 code and the Gobi AR code scanning app that eventually became App Clips, an iOS feature that allows users to download small snippets of code to perform specific tasks, such as previewing apps, buying goods and services and more.

(Credit: Unknownz21)

More recently, Unknownz21 tipped that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will be the only phones equipped with Wi-Fi 6E (via MacRumors), a relatively minor but key feature that will let the Pro lineup stand out versus the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Following the leaked image of the USB-C port, they said they will probably release another image, showing a corner of the phone and the display curve, bezel and other differences compared to the iPhone 14 Pro.

Then, this morning, the Unknownz21 posted a Twitter poll asking whether they should release an image of the volume buttons or the screen – the buttons are winning as of this writing, with nearly 60% of the vote, so it looks like we’ll be seeing that next, if anything. If the tipster’s leaks are accurate, that could reveal whether the new phones will be getting solid-state buttons, as rumored, or not.

iPhone 15 USB-C

iPhones have hung onto the proprietary lightning standard for its charge ports for years, even as the rest of the industry moves to USB-C (including Apple itself, which introduced the standard on its MacBooks starting in 2016). Its stubbornness finally came to a head when EU regulators forced the company’s hand last year, requiring the company to take up the standard, which may or may not be why we now will likely get iPhone 15 USB-C ports.