The world's first waterproof USB-C iPhone is going up for sale

Waterproof Usb C Iphone (Image credit: Gernot Jöbstl)

What you need to know

Gernot Jöbstl has transplanted a USB-C port into an iPhone X.
Unlike previous port transplants, this iPhone X is waterproof even after the mod.
The new iPhone will go up for sale on eBay next week.

Apple doesn't seem all that keen to bring USB-C to an iPhone and while there is still a chance that it could happen with iPhone 14, it does seem unlikely. But you can get your hands on a new USB-C iPhone X right now or, more accurately, once its auction ends. It won't begin until January 19.

This iPhone X was created by Gernot Jöbstl and unlike previous USB-C iPhone transplants, this one retains its water resistance. That, apparently, makes it the world's first which should bump the price up a little bit. That's probably fair considering Jöbstl had to go about creating a custom part to make the magic happen.

Check out the video explaining how the transplant went down.

A short Video of how I made a waterproof version of the USB-C iPhone. The Auction for the world's first Waterproof Usb-C iPhone will start on 19.1.2022 17:00 UTC.

It's fair to say that the finish could be a little better and as 9to5Mac points out, Jöbstl admits that his internal wiring "doesn't look so nice," too. But who cares if you're the owner of the world's first waterproof USB-C iPhone?

Sure, this probably isn't the best iPhone you can buy these days but the iPhone X was a watershed moment for Apple. Soon you'll be able to bid on a USB-C version of it and actually use it as a literal watershed of your own, too.

Because it's waterproof, see?

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.