Tech

Why you can trust ZDNET : ZDNET independently tests and researches products to bring you our best recommendations and advice. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Our process

‘ZDNET Recommends’: What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET’s recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET’s editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.

Home Tech Smartphones iPhone

Buying an iPhone 15 but still want your Lightning port? Apple’s got a dongle for you

Of course there would be a dongle. But will you need it?

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer on

Behold, the $29 USB-C-to-Lightning dongle.

Apple/ZDNET

So, the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro have been unveiled, and we learned a few new things. First, USB-C is better than Lightning, now that Apple has been forced to adopt the standard.

Also: Apple iPhone 15 hands-on: New features left me with no Pro model envy at all

Who knew?

Well, I think most of us did.

But getting rid of a port — either by choice or because the company had to comply with EU law — is an opportunity to sell customers yet another dongle.

Apple likes dongles, and as predicted, here is the USB-C-to-Lightning dongle.

Behold, the $29 Lightning-to-USB-C dongle!

ZDNET RECOMMENDS

USB-C to Lightning Adapter

With this dongle, you can connect Lightning accessories to a USB-C-enabled iPhone or iPad to support three functions: Charging, data, and audio.

View at Apple

All $29 of it.

The dongle features “a braided cable for added durability” and supports charging up to 24W. According to Apple, this dongle allows users to connect Lightning accessories to a USB-C-enabled iPhone or iPad to support three functions — charging, data, and audio.

Also: iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Which model is the best to buy?

As well as bringing back the Lightning port on the new iPhone 15, this dongle will also work with iPads and iPad Pros that trailblazed the switch over to USB-C a few years ago.

A question that many of you have been asking is whether a dongle — or a new car — is needed for wired CarPlay to work.

Good news! According to Apple, while you will be able to use the USB-C-to-Lightning dongle with wired CarPlay “in most vehicles,” “some combinations of adapters, cables, and vehicle entertainment systems” may cause problems with the wired CarPlay connection. In this case, you can use a USB cable to connect your car directly to the iPhone 15’s USB-C port.

That is a roundabout way of saying you’re probably better off using a cable than the dongle.

Also: Here’s how Apple just made the iPhone 15 Pro much easier to repair

I’d also expect the market to be flooded with cheaper versions of this dongle. While I’d steer clear of the cheap and nasty no-name stuff, I’d expect the big names in accessories to have something similar at a slightly better price than Apple is offering this dongle for.