iPhone 15 series USB Type-C port will have an IC chip that limits its functionality: report

The iPhone 15 series is expected to bring a slew of notable upgrades over the existing iPhone 14 lineup. Apple could stick to its strategy and launch four new models under the iPhone 15 series. The company might launch two non-Pro and a couple of Pro models.

The Pro models are likely to carry the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max monikers. Some reports claim the American tech giant will ditch the Pro Max model in favour of an Ultra branding. The word on the street is that the highest-end iPhone model will feature a periscope camera.

The 2023 iPhone series models have been floating around the rumour mill for quite some time now. Moreover, the upcoming Apple handsets have been subject to a lot of leaks. For instance, the next-generation iPhones are rumoured to come with USB Type-C ports rather than Lightning ports.

Apple executives have confirmed this speculation. They stated that the company will comply with the EU (European Union) rule that requires them to have a standard USB (Universal Serial Bus) Type-C port in all products by 2024. Now, a new leak further confirms Apple is gearing up to bring a USB Type-C port to the iPhone 15 series models.

Moreover, the new leaks suggest iPhone 15 models will be compatible with an MFI-certified USB Type-C cable. To those unaware, MFI (Made For iPhone/ iPad) certification is awarded to accessories that meet the Cupertino-based tech giant's standards for performance, safety, and quality.

However, it is still unclear whether this limitation will make using USB Type-C cables inconvenient. Apple is reportedly using a custom integrated circuit interface for the new charging port. Apparently, this will authenticate the accessory that's connected to the iPhone.

If a non-MFI-certified accessory is connected to the iPhone, a warning stating "This accessory is not supported" will pop up on the screen. Although this is just a leak, it is worth mentioning here that Apple has a reputation for restricting and limiting third-party products. So, there is a possibility that iPhone fans are in for disappointment.

Interestingly, existing Apple products including iPad and MacBook do not come with an integrated circuit to determine whether an MFI-certified accessory is connected to the device. Moreover, Apple is reportedly planning to widen the gap between the USB Type-C standards for the next-gen iPhones.

So, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will feature USB 2.0 ports, while the premium iPhone models will get Thunderbolt 3.2 ports. All four iPhone 15 series models are expected to get Dynamic Island. The Pro models will probably pack Apple's new A17 Bionic chip, which is fabbed on a 3nm process.

Moreover, the premium iPhone models could get a titanium chassis and static buttons. The vanilla iPhone 15 models will retain the 48MP primary camera of the current-gen iPhone 14 Pro models. They will house the same 12MP ultra-wide camera seen on their predecessors.