The iPhone 17 Air is anticipated to be Apple’s thinnest model yet, with recent reports indicating that the company considered making it the first portless iPhone. However, Apple ultimately opted against this decision, partly due to concerns about potential conflicts with EU regulations.
Despite these worries, I have received confirmation from the EU that launching a completely portless phone would be legally permissible.
Apple’s Shift to USB-C
Apple had to replace its proprietary Lightning port with a USB-C connector to comply with EU environmental regulations, specifically the Common Charger Directive. This regulation aimed to reduce electronic waste caused by the variety of charging ports across devices, which often required consumers to use multiple chargers.
Interestingly, when the legislation was first introduced, the common port was the less-than-ideal microUSB, but by the time the law was finalized, USB-C had become the standard.
While Apple had already transitioned to USB-C for its Macs and iPads, it continued using the Lightning port for iPhones. The new law mandated the switch to USB-C for iPhones as well.
With the January 2025 deadline approaching, the only remaining iPhones with Lightning ports available for direct sale were the iPhone SE and iPhone 14, both of which Apple discontinued just before the deadline.
Bloomberg Reports Apple’s Concerns About a Portless iPhone
There have been indications that Apple would eventually eliminate wired charging from certain iPhone models, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the company had contemplated this for the iPhone 17 Air.
Gurman noted that there was consideration to make the Air Apple’s first completely port-free iPhone, eliminating the USB-C connector in favor of wireless charging and cloud data syncing. He stated, “The world is probably ready for this change.”
However, Apple decided against the port-free design for the new iPhone due to concerns over EU regulations, which required the iPhone to switch to USB-C.
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EU Clarifies Portless Phones Are Allowed
My understanding of the Common Charger Directive was that it only mandates USB-C for devices with wired charging ports, not that a USB-C port is required for all devices.
I have confirmed this with Federica Miccoli, a press officer for the European Commission responsible for internal market and industrial strategy, who stated that a portless phone would comply with the law.
Since such devices cannot be charged via a wired connection, they are not required to have the standardized wired charging solution.
The EU is also expected to support the harmonization of wireless charging standards to prevent future market fragmentation. The Commission plans to monitor the development of various wireless charging technologies to ensure interoperability and energy efficiency.
As specified in recital 13 of the Common Charger Directive, the Commission aims to promote and standardize these solutions.
Apple has already contributed the MagSafe standard to the Wireless Power Consortium, which has been branded as Qi2. This means that a future portless iPhone equipped solely with MagSafe charging would be legal to sell in EU countries.
While a completely portless iPhone may not arrive with this year’s iPhone 17 Air, it’s likely only a matter of time before it happens.
SOURCE: 9to5Mac
