Humans may have conquered many frontiers, but when it comes to the next big thing, forget space: what about the mobile phone? We’ve never had access to more power or influence than with a smartphone, and Apple has led much of the fight to push those boundaries over the past two decades. So it’s no surprise that rumors are swirling about where the company’s iPhone is going next. Although Apple may have given way to Samsung on foldable phones, there has been intermittent discussion about what a portless iPhone might look like and when it might be released to the public. After all, MagSafe and Qi2 are viable wireless charging technologies that could potentially replace charging cables. So, could Apple go completely wireless with the iPhone?
The last major development we heard on this front came during an episode in 2025, when plans for a portless iPhone were supposedly held back due to concerns that such a product would run afoul of European Union regulations requiring electronics to support USB-C. However, a spokesperson for the European Commission essentially asserted that its rules did not prevent the sale of such a device. But with the state of play in the field of wireless charging and the ongoing investigation at the government level, we could wait until the end of 2027 at the earliest before hearing any announcements.
Why Apple could wait for the EU… again
The biggest obstacle right now that could hold Apple back is common EU pricing regulations. However, as we have established, it is not about USB-C: rather, the commission has appointed a committee to review the selection of a wireless charging standard. The panel order highlights the variety of mediums currently being promoted, including induction (what Qi uses), magnetic resonance, radio frequency radiation, capacitive transfer, laser, and even acoustics. A final report is expected in September 2027.
There’s a good chance that the Wireless Power Consortium’s (WPC) Qi technology, already used in thousands of consumer products, will get the final green light. Apple, which has long held a government seat at the WPC, reportedly contributed its work on MagSafe to Qi2’s Magnetic Power Profile specification. That said, WPC does have competition, with the AirFuel Alliance arguably its biggest threat. It has developed standards based on radio frequencies (RF) and resonance. AirFuel member Energous has already deployed RF charging in enterprise solutions for industrial environments such as warehouses.
Remember that Apple had to introduce the USB-C series for the iPhone 15 following the EU’s choice of this connector as a common standard. Jumping the gun today while a new wireless standard remains on hold, so to speak, could mean the company shoots itself in the foot in terms of designing a compliant phone, switching supply chains on and off, and supporting buyers who have essentially ended up owning a novelty unicorn. So if there is a portless iPhone model, it’s probably on ice right now.
