The iPhone SE and iPhone 14 series will no longer be available for purchase in Europe at the end of the year. In an effort to make technology more consumer-friendly, the European Union ruled that any mobile device sold must be able to charge through USB-C, according to iGeneration. While more modern entries in Apple’s lineup already meet those guidelines, the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 do not.
These aren’t the newest additions to Apple’s lineup, but the iPhone SE and the iPhone 14 series are still sold in Europe. These will be pulled from shelves as the deadline approaches. Customers have plenty of options, but this decision will leave the European market without an iPhone SE option until the next model releases in 2025.
Apple’s standard practice would normally leave the iPhone 14 for sale until the iPhone 17 releases, at which point the iPhone 14 would no longer be sold. Apple is going to lose close to a year’s worth of sales on the lower-end iPhone, but given how many new features need a more powerful chip, it’s a safe bet that many customers have already upgraded.
These two models will still be available for purchase in the rest of the world until the next entries in their respective lineups come out, but by the end of next year, charging via Lightning cable will officially be an outdated method. It’s a huge benefit for customers, as it makes it a lot easier to charge devices if everything uses the same type of cable. The EU also wants all laptops to use the same charging cables, but Apple has already made that transition ahead of the 2026 deadline.
By using a universal standard like USB-C, the EU streamlines the user experience and eliminates hangups caused by proprietary charging technology. USB-C is also faster than Lightning, capable of carrying both data and power and can be plugged in from either end.
