A bunch of iPhone 15 CAD renders emerged recently, revealing that Apple is finally ready to give up on its proprietary Lightning connector and adopt USB-C for its upcoming smartphones. The unofficial CADs were even followed by an actual photo of the unreleased iPhone 15's USB-C port (claims the source), so it's all but official that future iPhone users will finally be getting with the times.
Funnily enough, this fundamental change in how future iPhone modes will recharge their batteries means that Apple customers should soon be able to use Samsung wall/travel chargers to recharge their iPhone 15s. And knowing Apple's business model, they may even prefer doing so.
Samsung could earn a pretty penny from iPhone users
Whether or not Apple will manufacture USB-C chargers of its own for the upcoming iPhone 15 series is unknown. But if Apple won't, Samsung's chargers should work with the iPhone 15 series, given the USB-C standard. And if Apple does release its own wall chargers, it wouldn't be a shocker if these accessories would be more expensive than Samsung's.
As of this writing, Samsung sells its 25W USB-C fast charger for $34.99, and the 45W USB-C charger is available for $49.99. If Apple decides to manufacture USB-C chargers for the iPhone 15 series, the company may want to stay price-competitive. Otherwise, Apple customers may end up buying Samsung's wall chargers in droves, possibly opening up a niche revenue stream for the South Korean tech giant.
Conversely, Samsung may also borrow something from Apple soon. The WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) announced the Qi2 standard at CES 2023, and Qi2 was built on the same principles as Apple's MagSafe charging technology. Even before Qi2 got unveiled, people discovered that the Galaxy Z Fold 2's battery could be recharged using an Apple MagSafe charger, thanks to the magnets inside Samsung's foldable phone.
