Make sure that what happened to this iPhone 11 Pro Max buyer didn't happen to you

Whenever you buy a new iPhone, you probably take it for granted that Apple has packed the box with the correct cables. But this year things got a little more complicated because the charging accessories that come with the iPhone 11 are different than the ones that come with the Pro models. The latter devices come packed with a Lightning to USB-C cable and an 18W fast charger. Those purchasing the iPhone 11 are stuck with the traditional USB-A to Lightning cable that plugs into the included 5W charger.

What brings this up is a gentleman named Michal who purchased a new iPhone 11 Pro Max. According to Svetapple.sk, Michal was surprised to find that instead of getting the USB-C to Lightning cable with his purchase, the box he took home contained a USB-A to Lightning cable. And that left him with a dilemma of sorts; if the store that he purchased the phone from doesn't agree to exchange the cable, Michal will have to use an older 5W iPhone charger if he has one, or buy a new USB-C to Lightning cable. Apple charges $19 and up for this cable depending on the length, but after spending nearly $1,100 for a phone, who wants to spend even a penny more for something that is supposed to be free? Hopefully, for this consumer's sake, the retailer will do the right thing. The store has already been contacted about this mix-up.

We don't know exactly how many iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max buyers have run across the same problem that Michal did. If it does happen to you, here is some advice that you might want to heed: if you notice that you have the wrong cable in the box before you unwrap it, stop what you're doing and bring the box back to the store where it was purchased from. Otherwise, you could be accused of swapping out the cable yourself as a way to score a free cord. The mix-up might have occurred on the assembly line in one of the facilities in China used to manufacture the 2019 iPhone models.

You might remember that the original Apple iPhone used a 30-pin connector to USB-A cable. Big and unwieldy, the 30-pin connector was replaced by the smaller and technologically superior Lightning cable in September 2012 alongside the iPhone 5. For the last few years, there have been rumors that Apple would be ditching the Lightning port on the iPhone in favor of the Type-C charging port that you see on Android handsets. Last year, Apple switched to a Type-C charging port for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2018) models. And with a major shakeup in design expected for the 2020 iPhones, the odds are strongly in favor of Apple making the switch next year to Type-C for next year's iOS-powered handsets. This would allow iPhone users to have access to many accessories without having to carry an extra cable.

Besides a new charging port, the 2020 iPhone models are expected to have quite a few changes including support for 5G, the next generation of wireless connectivity. Also, we could see AMOLED panels on all three models, including the 6.7-inch display rumored for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. A faster refresh rate (90Hz or 120Hz) could be in the cards, making game animation seem faster and scrolling feel buttery smooth. Apple's own A14 SoC, built using TSMC's 5nm process, will power the new units. And we could see a quad-camera setup on the 2020 Pro models that will keep the Wide, Ultra-Wide and Telephoto cameras from this year's phones and add a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor. The latter provides more accurate depth sensing data and will help deliver enhanced AR effects and more natural bokeh blurs on portraits.