The iPhone 14 Doesn’t Include This Major Update The Everyone Has Been Asking For

Apple hosted its annual fall keynote on Wednesday, Sept. 7, and you know what that means — a brand new iPhone model with noteworthy features and perks is right around the corner. As iPhone users geared up for the drop of the iPhone 14, fans were eager to see if the new model with be the first to adopt a USB-C charger. Now that the event has come and gone, Apple users have their answer, and it’s not what they were hoping for. If you’re wondering, “does the iPhone 14 has a USB-C port?”, I’m sorry to say that the big change is yet to come. Here’s the deal with the dream feature Apple stans wish would arrive.

The annual event went down on Wednesday at in Cupertino, California, and it featured the launch of the highly anticipated iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The new models provide users with longer battery life, higher quality photos, and will even be available in two show-stopping purple colorways. In terms of iPhone upgrades, these are all usually pretty standard, but the potential feature that had everyone talking before the event was the possibility of a USB-C port for charging in place of Apple’s signature Lightning port.

Though the switch would be a major change, I wouldn’t hold my breath for the new feature. The new iPhone 14 models come with the standard Lightning port, which means the swap won’t be taking place for at least another year.

Prior to the announcement, MacRumors shared that the iPhone 14 would likely come with its usual Lightning cord charging port (and Lightning to USB-C charging cord), and it looks like the publication was right. This means fans probably won’t see a USB-C-friendly iPhone model until 2023 — but even that isn’t a guarantee. I know, I know, it’s a bummer, but the switch to a USB-C port could be in your very near future. IYDK, European Union lawmakers voted in favor of implementing a common charging standard across all electronics on June 7, 2022, and have given manufacturers until 2024 to update their devices accordingly — which means if Apple wants to sell iPhones in Europe in 2024, it’ll need a USB-C charging port.

The vote isn’t the only reason why fans hoped to see the USB-C on the iPhone 14. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared the possibility of an iPhone with a USB-C port via a series of tweets in May 2022, though the expert also projected the first model with the new port wouldn’t hit the market until 2023. “It's expected to see existing USB-C-related suppliers of Apple's ecosystem (e.g., IC controller, connector) become the market's focus in the next 1-2 years, thanks to vast orders from iPhones and accessories' adoption of USB-C ports,” said Kuo in a May 2022 tweet. That same month, Bloomberg tech reporter Mark Gurman echoed this statement and shared that Apple is testing USB-C equipped iPhones, before reporting that the change wouldn’t take place until “2023 at the earliest.”

As for why the company is making the change (besides the European Union mandate, of course), there are some benefits that come with having a USB-C port. While Lightning ports can only be found in Apple products, USB-C ports are much more universally accepted, and therefore will be compatible with other devices like laptops and tablets. Ming-Chi Kuo also shared that the transfer to USB-C could see an improvement in iPhone’s “transfer and charging speed in hardware designs,” although the details of the improvements will depend on “iOS support.”

Though it’s not the outcome everyone wanted, it doesn’t make the new lineup of iPhones any less impressive. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will feature a new Dynamic Island in place of the notch that will make accessing controls much easier, and upgrades to the camera quality and battery life are welcome changes, as well.