There’s not long left until Apple CEO Tim Cook takes to the stage and reveals the latest iPhone.
But ahead of the hotly-anticipated event, British mobile network EE has announced a slew of new accessories that might’ve inadvertently confirmed one of the biggest changes rumoured to be coming to the so-called iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro tonight.
Yes, the Kevin Bacon-fronted carrier has stocked its stores with a new range of USB-C accessories from Cygnett. These are available now from the online store, EE smartphone app on iOS and Android, as well as brick-and-mortar high street shops. For a limited time, you’ll get a £5 discount when you purchase more than one Cygnett charging accessory.
But why would you need to invest in a new charger today?
One of the biggest shake-ups rumoured to be coming to the next iPhone is the adoption of USB-C. This connector is already widely used across a number of Apple products, including the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and iPad Air.
But the iPhone – which accounts for roughly 52% of Apple’s total revenues – has stuck firmly to the Lightning connector, which was introduced with the iPhone 5 back in 2012. The Lightning port, which is only available on Apple products, can be found on accessories for the iPhone too, like AirPods.
When it made its debut 11 years ago, Lightning introduced a number of impressive advances: it was smaller, more durable, and most importantly of all, it was reversible – so you no longer needed to worry about plugging in your cable the wrong way. Lightning was also capable of high-resolution music playback, huge data transfers, and fast wired charging.
USB-C was co-developed by a consortium of technology firms, including Apple, and has many of the same benefits. With its widespread adoption, a single charger and cable can be used to refill the battery on your Kindle, Nintendo Switch, MacBook Air, wireless headphones, and (if the rumours are to be believed) your iPhone 15.
By moving away from its proprietary charging port, Apple will comply with an incoming EU regulation that mandates that all phones sold after autumn 2024 will need to use the USB-C connector for all charging ports.
EE says that the new range of USB-C chargers and external battery packs from Cygnett are designed “for the latest devices”. Of course, that could be referring to any number of recent gadgets, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
However, the timing of the announcement – just a few hours before we find out what Apple has been working on for the last year – seems to hint that this might not just be about the latest foldable from Samsung.
The complete Cygnett range is designed to support the fastest wired charging speeds. Prices start from £19.99 each. Head to the EE store to find Cygnett’s Fast Type-C Cable (2.2m), 25W Fast Mains Plug, and 10,000 mAh Fast Power Bar.
Express.co.uk will have all of the latest announcements from California when the curtain falls on the latest iPhone announcement tonight, so stay tuned.
