If you'll recall, Apple no longer makes Lightning port devices because of the Common Charger Directive. The first USB-C Apple iPhones were the iPhone 15s. The release of the iPhone 16e, which replaced the iPhone SE, finally killed off Lightning for good.

Apple considered launching the iPhone 17 Air without a USB-C charging port, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On

The big obstacle there would most likely be the European Union, which is the entity that forced Apple to adopt USB-C to begin with. However, according to 9to5Mac, that won't be a problem. An EU spokesperson confirmed to 9to5Mac that Apple can legally sell a device with no charging port in EU countries.

However, I’ve had confirmation from the bloc that dropping the USB-C port for a completely portless phone would in fact be completely legal … Apple famously had to swap out its proprietary Lightning port for a USB-C one in order to comply with EU environmental legislation – specifically the Common Charger Directive.