Today, Apple finally unveiled the iPhone 15. Leading up to this reveal, there was heavy speculation that Apple would be saying goodbye to the lightning port, which has been the iPhone’s main connector since the iPhone 5. Many generations of the product line have now finally led us to every brand of smartphone now sharing the same charging port. For some, this will mean more dongles and adapters to deal with, especially if you’re already used to having so many lightning cables lying around. Now iPhone and Android devices will share a USB Type C port, which can have an impact on how you listen to music.
Of course, if you primarily listen to music through AirPods or any pair of Bluetooth headphones/true wireless earbuds, then this change won’t be much of a problem. However, if you’re someone who uses your iPhone with audio peripherals like DAC/Amp dongles, or other portable devices, then you might find some products obsolete with the iPhone 15. This includes products like your common 3.5mm to lightning headphone adapter and other dongles that terminate to lightning without a detachable cable. You’ll probably no longer see lightning versions of some products like the Fiio KA1, so you’ll need to exclusively use Type C versions of these items if you want to use them with the iPhone 15.
On the positive side, this opens up the iPhone to work with more audio devices on the market without the need for adapters. If you use products like the iFi Hip-DAC 2, or iFi Diablo, then you won’t need to use a camera adapter to connect their USB-A cables to lightning. You can use Type C to Type C cables, or OTG adapters which are a lot more reliable than the Apple camera adapters. Some DAC/Amps that only offer Type C connectors in the box, like the Questyle M15, can also be used without the need to purchase extra cables.
