iPhone 15 Pro: 5 biggest changes to Apple's flagship device since inception & reason for USB-C charging

It's hard to believe that the first iPhone launched 16 years ago given it may seem a fairly recent technological innovation to many. Or it may seem even older to many of us given how it has now become such an important part of many people's lives.

But either way, since the iPhone 2G launched in 2007, there have been many advances in the design and features of the Apple handset to help bring about the iPhone 15 which was announced at an event in California on September 12, 2023.

In fact, Apple released four new phones - the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models. You can read about the differences in their specifications, prices and designs here.

But undoubtedly the biggest change in the new iPhones this year is the decision to switch to a universal USB-C charging port. Including this unprecedented change for Apple, we look at other big changes over the years that have helped bring about the newly announced iPhone 15.

Lighting cable charging

The Apple Lightning cable is now familiar to us all so you'd be forgiven for forgetting that this wasn't the original Apple charger at first

The original iPhone charger was the Apple 30-pin connector, but in 2012, Apple announced for the first time that iPhone users would need to switch up their cables and use a Lightning cable instead.

This smaller connector was seen as a big improvement to its predecessor and devices could be charged regardless of which way the cable was inserted.

It forms part of a long-running opinion of Apple being pretty cutthroat when it comes to giving old tech the chop - as seen by the next change.

Removing the headphone jack

Four years later in 2016, Apple killed off the headphone jack on its latest iPhone then - the iPhone 7.

All iPhone models since have lacked the 3.5mm headphone jack - meaning many users with older headphones would either have to buy shoddy adapters or fork out on a pair of wireless headphones.

Funnily enough, Apple launched its own wireless headphones in 2016 - the now extremely popular AirPods.

Getting rid of the home button

In 2017, Apple released the iPhone X - or 10 - that celebrated a decade of the smartphone.

That year, Apple's big move was to release a phone with a much bigger screen - so big that it removed the home button at the bottom of the front of the phone.

It seemed dramatic at the time, although it is easy to see in retrospect how it has created a much more immersive and flush-screen display.

Instead, users now swipe up from the bottom of the screen to return Home.

USB-C charging

Rejoice! Apple and Android users can now find common ground... with their chargers.

For the first time, Apple has gone down the universal route and installed a USB-C charger on all four new iPhones.

Not only does this make it easier to charge your iPhone when you're out and about, but it also means that many high-end iPad and Mac models will use the same charger as an iPhone from now on.

The change has come about because in June 2022, the European Union ruled all smartphones would require the same charger from 2024.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton said the move would save consumers $419 million.

Despite some initial pushback from Apple, they've now bent to the impending legislation.

USB-C connectivity also allows easier transfer of high-quality video from iPhones directly onto hard drives.

Action Button

Since the first iPhone, users have had a toggle switch on the side of the phone to switch between ring and silent. This has now changed.

The high-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models have replaced this toggle with a new 'Action Button'.

While you can still turn your phone on silent with this button, it can do a lot of other things including quickly accessing the camera or flashlight, activating Voice Memos, Focus modes, Translate, and using accessibility features like Magnifier.

An innovative change that truly adds something to the iPhone