Mobile

iPhone X with a USB Type-C port is up for auction on eBay. The modified iPhone X developed by a student named Ken Pillonel is listed on the e-commerce site with the title ‘world’s first USB C iPhone’. The modified Apple device supports charging and data transfers. At the time of writing, the device had received 173 bids with the highest at $100,100 (roughly Rs. 7,447,000). The auction closes on November 11. On YouTube, Ken Pillonel also shared a video demonstrating the entire project from setting the concept to designing a custom internal PCB.

Robotics engineering student Ken Pillonel in his blog and YouTube video explains how he integrated a USB Type-C port into an iPhone X. According to him, the modification process involves using USB-C to lightning, converting the Type-C male end of the cable to a female port, and fitting the same inside the iPhone. The 13-minute-long video shows the proof of concept prototypes, reverse engineering C94 (connector), using a circle board, and making the USB Type-C connector fit inside the iPhone case.

You can watch the step-by-step modding of the iPhone X below

As mentioned, the modified Apple phone with 64GB of storage and with a USB Type-C port is currently listed on eBay. The first offer for the handset started at $3,500 (roughly Rs. 2,60,200) on Tuesday. The prototype device had already managed to get a $100,100 (roughly Rs. 7,447,000) bid at the time of writing. With around one week left on the auction until November 11, the price is can go even higher.

The eBay seller is giving free worldwide shipping for the iPhone X with a USB Type-C port. The device is available in Black colour and comes with a box without any accessories included. Also, Pillonel is offering up-to-30 minute call support for the iPhone.

Before bidding in the auction, it is important to note that the eBay listing says that the prototype shouldn’t be used as a daily phone. Users are prohibited from wiping, restoring, or updating the phone. Also opening the phone is not allowed. Lastly, the project is open-sourced and interested people can find it on GitHub.


This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss iPhone 13, new iPad and iPad mini, and Apple Watch Series 7 — and what they mean to the Indian market. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.