If Apple does not include USB C port in iPhones, hardware engineers will do so unofficially. DEEP, a Slovakian company, has successfully implanted a USB C port into an iPhone 12 Pro Max, and it is fully functional.
This makes it the first iPhone 12 Pro Max with a USB C port, but it is not the first iPhone ever. Ken Pillonel, a robotics student, accomplished this on an iPhone X last November. This time, however, the transplant was carried out by hardware and software engineers.
To get to the Lightning port assembly, the iPhone in question was pried open and a few parts were removed. After it was removed, measurements were taken to determine the proper size for the USB C connector to be installed in the housing.
After removing the Lightning port gasket, there was barely enough room for a USB C assembly to fit.
For the USB C port, a new flex cable was designed, and an original MFI chip was taken from another device. MFI contains an authenticator chip, which is used in Apple devices to determine whether a charger is safe to use.
This was soldered into the flex assembly, which was then installed inside the device’s 3D printed housing.
The USB C plug fit almost perfectly into this Frankenstein port. The speaker assembly, on the other hand, needed to be filed down slightly to fit the new USB C housing.
When the iPhone was reassembled, the new port worked flawlessly for charging and data transfer. The USB C iPhone 12 Pro Max is now available for purchase via auction on eBay.
As previously stated, this is not the first iPhone to include a USB C. Ken Pillonel created the first one, an iPhone X. It was auctioned off on eBay for a whopping $86,001.
To read our blog on “Apple’s iPhone 14 design is now in trial production phase,” click here.