Apple Won’t Sell You a USB-C iPhone X, but You Sure Can Bid for One

BY Chandraveer Mathur

Published 4 Nov 2021

Last month, a robotics engineer named Ken Pillonel successfully swapped the Lightning connector on an iPhone X with USB-C while retaining data transfer as well as charging capabilities. You can now try to get your hands on this famed prototype, with bids on eBay already in excess of $85,000 at the time of publishing.

So far, the eBay auction listing has garnered 144 bids from 41 different bidders and only two bids have been retracted. Bidding is set to continue for another week before the highest bidder will be announced. We expect the price to cross the $100,000 mark in the final hours of the auction. The latest bid already exceeds the sticker price for the latest and greatest iPhone 13.

The USB-C iPhone has been described as a “true piece of collection for any Apple fanboy out there,” and we wholeheartedly agree. However, there are a few caveats. The listing states that by bidding, the purchaser agrees to not restore, update, or erase the phone, not to use it as a daily phone, and not take a peek at its innards.

Additionally, the seller is offering the winning bidder a 30-minute call to answer any questions about the phone. Since bidding began on November 1, this has been a fun auction to track, with the first bid coming in at $1,625. A steady climb to $14,800 was outdone by a $30,000 bid.

If you are interested in owning a USB-C iPhone, you can try your luck here. Otherwise, our comments section warmly welcomes your thoughts!