The USB-C iPhone 15 is here, and yes, there's a $29 dongle

(Image credit: Apple)

iPHONE 15: What you need to know

Teaser image for Apple Wonderlust event — (Image credit: Apple)

- Apple Event - LIVE updates
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Pro /iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Apple Watch Series 9 / Ultra 2
- iOS 17
- watchOS 10

It's finally happened. After years of rumors the iPhone finally has a USB-C port and yes, Apple's absolutely ready to sell you a dongle for those old Lightning cables.

Apple just announced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineups and, as expected, all four new models have ditched Lightning in favor of USB-C. The move isn't going to go down well with everyone of course, but Apple already has an answer for people who don't want to buy new charging cables. They can buy a dongle, instead.

Not that the dongle will be the cheap option.

How much?!

Apple is already offering the descriptively-named USB-C to Lightning Adapter in its online Apple Store, complete with an eye-watering $29 asking price.

On the positive side, Apple's fancy adapter is at least braided between the USB-C and Lightning receptacle, so there's that.

"The USB-C to Lightning Adapter lets you connect your Lightning accessories to a USB-C-enabled iPhone or iPad to conveniently provide three key functions — charging, data, and audio — with a single adapter," Apple says. " This adapter has a braided cable for added durability."

Whether that warrants the $29 asking price is something that people will have their own opinions on, but we can expect there to be plenty of third-party alternatives that cost a fair bit less.

Apple USB-C to Lightning dongle — (Image credit: Apple/Future)

Apple is also quick to note that its dongle will work with CarPlay, something drivers might want to take notice of. "This adapter supports connection to most cars including those that work with CarPlay," Apple's product page says. "You can also directly connect a USB cable from your car into the USB-C connector on your iPhone."

The switch to USB-C is only being made at the behest of the European Union (EU), remember. The move comes after the EU told Apple and other phone makers to use a common charger starting from next year. Apple was the only major phone company not using USB-C at the time.

We're covering all the Apple iPhone 15 event announcements live as they happen. Don't miss all our iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, iOS 17and watchOS 10 coverage so far.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.