Engineering student Ken Pillonel’s iPhone with a USB-C connector fetched a handsome price at auction. Now, another creator’s iPhone with the exact same modification is also set to be auctioned, with one fundamental improvement — water resistance.

Gernot Jöbstl, based in Austria, claims to have created an iPhone X that accommodates a USB-C connector, thanks to some ingenious engineering. He claims his creation draws inspiration from Pillonel’s work from last fall and credits the latter’s GitHub page.

Jöbstl claims the modified iPhone is waterproof and uses a custom part made of 20 percent carbon fiber. He adds that the internals aren’t the prettiest after the Lightning-to USB-C swap because of the superglue utilized to isolate the wiring. however, the prototype’s USB-C connection appears to support both charging and data transfer. In the video, you can see some of this superglue that probably makes the USB-C port waterproof.

You can watch Jöbstl’s full video about the USB-C iPhone below:

In the video description, the creator has clarified that the phone will eventually go under the hammer at an auction on January 19 at 17:00 UTC. However, he hasn’t mentioned a starting price for the auction. You could revisit the video description to check for auction details if you are interested.

Our Take

Pillonel’s USB-C iPhone sold at auction for a whopping $86,000 in November 2021. Jöbstl’s iPhone could fetch a similar price. However, given that the USB-C iPhone concept isn’t as novel after Pillonel’s work, it remains to be seen if the project finds any takers. Additionally, the waterproof capability is merely a claim here, and the modified iPhone hasn’t received any standard certification for ingress protection. This could deter some buyers.

Jöbstl says he plans to undertake more such projects in the future, and we can’t wait to see them unravel! What do you think of his creation? Is it a valuable collectible?