Slovakian company DEEP has modified Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max by modify the lightning port for a USB-C port. Apple has long resisted changing the proprietary lightning port for USB-C but the European Commission wants to make USB-C ports mandatory and this may force Apple into making the change.
DEEP not only incorporated a USB-C port but provided a walk-through video that details all the steps taken to transform the iPhone 12 Max Pro into a USB-C-capable device.
The modification process starts with opening the iPhone 12 Pro Max and removing the Lightning port flex cable assembly. The required measurements are then taken so that the USB-C connector and the housing can be properly placed.
Interestingly, when the Gasket is removed from the Lightning hole, it leaves an absolutely perfect USB-C hole, highlighting that Apple doesn’t need to make any modification to housing in this area. As the video points out, whether this is a coincidence or not, is open to conjecture.
A flex cable designed with the USB-C port and implementing an original Apple Mfi chip was then soldered into the flex assembly and installed back to the iPhone 12 Pro Max. This was produced using a 3D printer.
The USBC- connector is sealed but it is unclear whether the water resistance rating of the original iPhone 12 Pro Max is maintained after the modification, or indeed it has any water resistance.
Once the new USB-C iPhone 12 Pro Max is put back together, charging the device is successfully tested with several different cables. Not only does it charge but the modified smartphone works with iTunes and the phone’s internal storage connects seamlessly with a Mac.
The USB-C iPhone 12 Pro Max is now up for auction on eBay, which runs from February 24 until March 6 at 3.00 am Eastern Time.
