The New iPhone 12 Continues To Use Lightning Connection
The launch of new smartphone is always an exciting time for the tech industry. In particular, the launch of a new iPhone has become a global event, watched by millions to see what new features and technological advances will be next to come to the public en masse. In recent years, we've seen face ID become the new standard, and wireless charging has become a much bigger fixture as well.
So when the new iPhone 12 range was announced on Tuesday at Apple's latest virtual event, many people were expecting the iPhone to finally move on from the Lightning connection that has dominated Apple products for the last decade, and onto the quicker, more modern USB-C connectors that become both the modern standard and the new standard for the current generation of iPads and Macbooks.
Instead, to the surprise of many, Apple have strangely kept with their Lightning connection. The iPhone 12 will also shipped with no charger and a lightning to USB-C charging cable, and have instead updated their wireless charging connection, using what is known as MagSafe. First introduced with the iPhone 5 all the way back in 2012, Lightning replaced the old and rather bulky 30-pin charger that had been part of Apples mobile products since the iPod. At the time, Lightning had many advantages, including it's smaller and lighter connector and faster data transfer times and was seen as a a logical step for Apple to make. |
In recent years however, USB-C has surpassed it as a faster and more powerful connector. Able to handle much higher power, USB-C is also capable of much faster data transfer speed. Lightning operates at the USB 2.0 speed of 480mbps, whilst USB-C works at 5gbps. Not only this, but USB-C is now used by a wide variety of devices, making charging much easier and more convenient.
With Apple still persevering with the Lightning connector, there are rumours that Apple plan to stick with it until wireless charging is powerful enough to become the main charging method. This combines with the rise of wireless headphones to potentially allow them to build the iPhone as a sealed unit.
For now though, Apple has chosen to stick with the Lightning connector and this means our multicables are the perfect tool for ensuring you can charge all of your devices.