Apple has confirmed its new iPhone will not feature its proprietary lightning charging port, after the EU forced it into the change to save users money.

The tech giant said that the iPhone 15, unveiled at its annual event on Wednesday, would use a USB-C cable as the “universally accepted standard”.

A new Apple Watch series was also unveiled with a more advanced chip.

But one analyst said a lack of “headline-grabbing” updates from Apple this year would disappoint some.

“It isn’t a surprise given the maturity of the iPhone and Watch,” said Ben Wood from CCS Insight.

“It reflects just how refined the iPhone and Watch devices are and how tough it has become to deliver truly disruptive updates every year.”

The new iPhone handset is the first since 2012 to feature an alternative charging port.

The firm said the USB-C cable – which already works with many Apple laptops and iPads – will also work on new versions of its AirPods Pro earphones wired EarPods headphoness.

The EU had told the tech giant to ditch its proprietary charging ports in Europe to make life easier for consumers, save them money, and help reduce e-waste by encouraging re-use of chargers.

However, some have warned that ditching Apple’s proprietary lightning port will lead to a rise in discarded cables in the years to come.

Ed Hoppitt, a senior director at cloud computing firm VMWare, said: “Since the lightning cable was introduced with the iPhone 5 in 2012, countless Apple phones, devices, headphones, adapters, and other accessories have used it. All are now obsolete.”