DEEP, a Slovakian firm, has successfully adapted an Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max to work with a USB-C connector. Consumers have long asked (and rumours have persisted since 2017) why Apple has yet to upgrade the iPhone to the USB-C standard. After all, the iPad and Mac lines already adhere to the universal standard.

A video of the modification process has been made by the company.

After prying the phone open and removing the Lightning port flex cable assembly, the USB-C connector is measured in order to put a housing on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. After removing the Lightning port’s gasket, the opening left behind is just large enough to accommodate a USB-C plug.

Meanwhile, a flex cable with a USB-C port is being constructed, with an original MFi chip stripped from a different device. This is then soldered to the flex assembly before being reinstalled on the device with the new 3D-printed enclosure. The USB-C plug almost completely fits.

Many iPhone owners have long been waiting for Apple to deploy the more widespread and acclaimed USB Type-C port on their iPhones, as it did on the iPad Pro or MacBooks. Especially users of “PRO” devices would welcome one cable for all the devices they use daily in their work. We have decided to fulfill this desire at least in part and we offer original Apple iPhone mobile phone with a USB-C port instead of the original Lightning port.

This contraption is currently available on eBay, and anyone interested in purchasing the world’s second USB-C powered iPhone can do so. The auction began on Thursday and will conclude on March 6 at 3 a.m. ET.

Back in November, Swiss robotics student Ken Pillonel modified an iPhone X to work with a USB-C connector, and the device sold on eBay to a winning bidder for $86,001. It’s worth mentioning that Pillonel’s USB-C iPhone X cannot be updated, restored, or reset.

DEEP’s modified iPhone, on the other hand, looks to be a plug-and-play situation due to the presence of the MFi chip. It is unknown whether DEEP’s implementation can be reset or altered. We’re also curious if the modified iPhone is still water-resistant.

Will Apple ever release an iPhone with a USB-C port? We don’t know, but the people at DEEP decided to take matters into their own hands.