Rumor: Upcoming iPhones will support USB fast charging via Lightning port

The three iPhones that Apple will reportedly release in the second half of this year will support fast charging based on USB Power Delivery, but via Apple’s Lightning port. That reports an analyst who is often right about Apple rumors.

The arrival of USB fast charging via the Lightning connector comes from the well-known ‘Apple analyst’ Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, MacRumors writes. His message follows a rumor from the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, which claimed that the iPhones will have a USB-C connector instead of the Lightning connector.

This is not the case according to Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple would like to keep the Lightning port because it is slightly thinner than USB-C and Apple earns from licensing Lightning accessories. He does claim that Apple will implement USB Power Delivery. He thinks Apple will use chips from Texas Instruments for power management and Cypress for power delivery. Thanks to a different battery, the iPhone with OLED screen could charge faster than the other two models. The Power Delivery standard includes five levels with different amperages and different voltages, with 100W being the maximum.

The message does not specifically state whether the Lightning speed will also increase, but Ming-Chi Kuo does not think so because the higher USB speed would be a ‘niche application for the iPhone’. The Lightning connection still supports speeds on iPhones and iPads that are comparable to those of USB 2.0, of theoretically 480Mbit/s. However, the 12.9″ version of the iPad Pro does support the USB 3.0 speed of 5Gbit/s and this tablet can also be charged quickly using a Lightning to USB-C cable.