Android Phone With Fully Functioning Lightning Port Becomes Engineer's Latest Project

Following a trend of enthusiasts successfully switching the iPhone's Lightning port for a USB-C port, engineer Ken Pillonel has added a functional Lightning port to a Samsung Galaxy A51.

Pillonel was the first to gain notoriety for modifying an iPhone X to add a functional USB-C port, which went on to sell for over $86,000 at auction. His latest project sought to achieve the inverse and add a Lightning port to a Galaxy A51, including charging and data transfer functionality.

Pillonel told Engadget that the project was "a complex modification that required some out-of-the-box thinking."

The Lightning cables sold by Apple are not "dumb." They will only charge Apple devices. So I had to find a way to trick the cable into thinking it was plugged into an Apple device. And the whole thing needs to fit inside the phone, which is another challenge in itself.

Pillonel admitted that "the quality of the finished product is nowhere near what it was for the ‌iPhone‌," but he doesn't expect "anyone in their right mind" to want to do this to their device. "It was for fun, I just wanted to see if I could do it," he explained, adding that such projects serve as a great example of what can be achieved with devices, even without the help of the companies that originally made them.

Pillonel plans to release a full-length explanation video about the Galaxy A51's conversion from USB-C to Lightning on his YouTube channel soon.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
General Final Cut Pro Feature

Apple Likely to Announce Final Cut Pro Update This Week With These New Features

Sunday November 10, 2024 12:13 pm PST by
In its announcement video for the new Mac mini last month, Apple teased an "upcoming" version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac. Apple will likely announce the update during the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit, which begins this Wednesday. The conference is held in association with Apple, and attendees will be visiting Apple Park on the first day. Apple already teased four new features...
iphone 6 thickness

iPhone 17 'Air' May Not Be Much Thinner Than iPhone 6

Monday November 11, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 "Air" model may not be as thin as Apple planned, according to a rumor originating in Korea. According to the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on Naver, citing industry sources, Apple has run into problems making the new iPhone 17 model sufficiently thin. The device's reduced thickness is apparently dependent on manufacturing a battery with a thinner substrate, but...
new mac holiday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Monday November 11, 2024 7:45 am PST by
Black Friday is getting closer, and prices on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini computers have started to drop as the shopping holiday nears. These deals include the latest models of the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site...
best buy holiday

Best Buy Reveals Black Friday Plans With Sitewide Sales Available Now

Friday November 8, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Black Friday sales are continuing today with Best Buy kicking off early Black Friday deals that will last for the next few days. Similar to other retailers, Best Buy's early Black Friday event includes sitewide savings on Apple products, headphones, TVs, monitors, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may...
iOS 18 2 Share Item Location

Apple Announces iOS 18.2's New AirTag Location Sharing Feature Coming to These 15+ Airlines

Monday November 11, 2024 8:18 am PST by
Last week, we reported on a new feature in the Find My app on the iOS 18.2 beta that allows you to temporarily share an AirTag's location with a trusted person, and soon with airlines. Apple today announced the feature, providing more details. Apple said more than 15 airlines will offer the feature "in the coming months," including Delta, United, Air Canada, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, ...
iOS 18

Here's Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 3

Monday November 11, 2024 4:53 pm PST by
Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to developers for testing today. While the third betas of each update are minor relative to the first two betas, there are still a handful of changes across the Photos app, TV app, and more. A corresponding iOS 18.2 public beta with these changes will likely be released later this week, and Apple previously confirmed that the software...
Next Generation CarPlay Porsche 1

Apple Continues to Prepare for Next-Generation CarPlay in iOS 18.2 Beta

Monday November 11, 2024 12:42 pm PST by
It has been nearly two and a half years since Apple first previewed next-generation CarPlay at WWDC 2022, and it has still yet to become available in any vehicles. Fortunately, though, Apple continues to work on the software system. Within the code for the third beta of iOS 18.2 seeded to developers today, there are redesigned "Climate" and "Media" app icons for next-generation CarPlay,...

Top Rated Comments

WiiDSmoker Avatar
34 months ago
USB C to lightning? It’s like going from a car back to a horse and buggy
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
navier Avatar
34 months ago
The worst of both worlds finally united.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlexESP Avatar
34 months ago

USB C to lightning? It’s like going from a car back to a horse and buggy
The only upside of USB-C (3* really) is speed. All the rest (durability, waterproofing, size…) are downsides. For a phone (especially when very few people use wired data transfer) it’s very reasonable to think that Lightning is “the car”.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Starscape Avatar
34 months ago
Jeez, a lightning port. That’s an impressive downgrade.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Waxhead138 Avatar
34 months ago
April Fools Perhaps? Alot of work for it.....the video and all :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Danfango Avatar
34 months ago
Not good enough.

I want a DB25 RS232 port in my iPhone 13 pro.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)