Apple's next iPhone could include an entirely new charging method.

KEY POINTS 

• Experts predict that the new iPhone will use USB-C charging instead of Apple's Lightning technology.

• This follows legislation passed by the European Parliament mandating the inclusion of a USB Type-C charging connector on all consumer gadgets sold within the EU by the end of 2024.

• Suppose Apple's history of using sequential numbers for its product names is any indication. In that case, the next gadget might be the iPhone 15, which the company has been rumored to be under consideration.

• According to experts, Apple's switch to USB-C will be for the entire world, not just the European Union.

Since a European regulation on universal chargers is becoming a reality, many believe that Apple will include USB-C charging in its next iPhone.

On Tuesday, legislators in the European Parliament passed a rule mandating that all consumer goods sold in the European Union include a USB Type-C charging port by the end of 2024.

Apple's current proprietary charging system, Lightning, is incompatible with USB-C. However, things may alter with the release of the iPhone 15, the company's next flagship smartphone.

Apple will "inevitably" switch to USB-C on the iPhone 15 when it launches in 2023, according to Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, who predicted in a note released earlier this week.

"In my opinion, the change has already begun because Apple has switched to USB-C on the MacBook and iPad Pro. The iPhone 14 was largely an incremental update, therefore the iPhone 15 could feature more noticeable changes to the appearance. Consequently, now is a good moment to make the switch," Wood added in follow-up comments to CNBC.

If Apple keeps to its usual naming pattern, the next handset might be called the iPhone 15, and there are reports that it will support USB-C.

Bloomberg reported in May that Apple is testing iPhones with USB-C charging for a future release, but this wouldn't happen until 2023.

Does the next iPhone support USB-C charge everywhere in the world?

A technology industry expert at IDC, Bryan Ma, said that if Apple did move to USB-C next year, it would do so for iPhones worldwide, not just in the EU.

On Wednesday's episode of CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia," Ma suggested that phone manufacturers use a universal charger to save money and time. "Most likely it would make sense that they get the scale out of going to this common charger globally rather than having to produce individual parts," Ma said.

Moreover, " he said, "in their own house, people are already preparing and making arrangements for the inevitability within a few years," he said.

Such an update would align Apple with rivals like Samsung, which uses USB-C for their charging connectors.

The EU regulation has been in the works for about a decade, and it may finally be approved this year.

Proponents of a uniform charging standard say consumers will save money in the long run by not buying a new charger with each new electronic gadget.

That's a big win for common sense. Harmonizing on USB-C "makes great sense," Wood said, "even if Apple has a massive installed base of lighting wire-driven devices.