Last year when rumors started swirling around Apple’s plans for an ultra-thin new iPhone, one limitation on thinness was expected to be the USB-C charging port. But it turns out, Apple had a clever solution to make iPhone Air’s USB-C port unusually thin: 3D-printed titanium.
iPhone Air uses 3D-printed titanium USB-C port that’s thinner and stronger
Last year, Apple shipped its thinnest product of all time with the M4 iPad Pro. As a daily user of the new ultra-thin iPad, I quickly noticed that its thinness seemed to push the limits of what was possible with a USB-C port.
I wrote last August that the M4 iPad Pro was “so thin, in fact, that the USB-C charging port barely fits. Apple’s own USB-C chargers are actually a tiny bit thicker than the device they plug into.”
My speculation was that the USB-C port would be a limitation for how thin Apple’s rumored iPhone Air could be.
Though the iPhone Air turned out thicker than the iPad Pro, it seems Apple required a solution for a thinner USB-C port anyways. And it found a clever innovation.
Per Apple’s iPhone Air press release:
A new titanium USB-C port is 3D-printed to be thinner and stronger, fitting into the slim design while using 33 percent less material than a conventional forging process.
Top comment by ukie
A new titanium USB-C port is 3D-printed to be thinner and stronger, fitting into the slim design while using 33 percent less material than a conventional forging process.
ehhh this is what many kickstarters projects have been doing for years though?? there is also many community 3d printed made usb ports assuming you’re using the right material like Filamet‘s aluminum and correct STL files ofcourse
Using 3D printing and titanium enabled Apple to make the iPhone Air’s USB-C port thinner than the standard build. And stronger too, which could be related to bending concerns.
There’s no mention of such a technique being used for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max. Those devices presumably come with the standard USB-C ports found in previous iPhone models.
Apple’s thinner USB-C port on iPhone Air shouldn’t present any problems with plugging in charging cables or other peripherals. Rather, it’s the internal component that Apple found a way to slim down.
But it’s a pretty fascinating example of the lengths Apple has gone to in its quest to make the thinnest iPhone ever.
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