Kuo: iPhone 15 MFi standard support is expected to boost sales of Apple’s iPhone USB-C charger

This year, Apple will switch the iPhone from a Lightning to a USB-C port in order to comply with European regulations that require electronic devices to have a common method of charging via a USB-C port.

As part of the move, Apple is expected to limit some of the benefits of USB-C, such as faster charging and data speeds, to only work with MFi-certified cables and chargers. As a result, Kuo believes that Apple expects a significant increase in demand for the 20W USB-C charger that it will manufacture itself.

As a reputable analyst says:

I believe Apple will improve the fast charging performance offered by MFi-certified chargers for iPhone 15. Among Apple chargers, the 20W USB-C model is the most efficient option for iPhone users, which has led to a surge in demand for a USB-C charger. 20W power to replace the old one.

Aside from the benefits of owning an Apple-certified charger, Kuo believes that another potential driver behind the strong replacement demand is iPhone 15 owners’ desire to have more than one USB-C charger to cover the need for more charging stations. With these factors in mind, Kuo reports that shipments of the 20W Apple USB-C charger in 2023 are expected to experience a significant growth of 30-40% over last year, reaching 230-240 million units, with Apple’s supplier, LY iTech, naturally the lion’s share of revenue.

Since their introduction in 2012, MFi-certified Lightning ports and cables have an integrated microcircuit that validates components when connected. Third-party charging cables that aren’t MFi-certified don’t have this chip, so Apple devices often display familiar warnings like “This component is not supported.”

Rumor has it that the replacement USB-C port on iPhone 15 models will continue to offer a Lightning-style certification chip, despite the fact that the USB-C ports on Apple’s iPads lack such a chip. The concern on the part of users is that Apple will use the MFi program to limit features such as fast charging and high-speed data transfer on Apple and MFi-certified cables. Kuo’s latest prediction seems to point to the same fate.

Kuo previously claimed that the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will still be limited to Lightning/USB 2.0 speeds, with faster transfer speeds exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.