Back in 2021, engineer Ken Pillonel did what Apple refuses to do when he made the world’s first iPhone with a working USB-C port. Now, Pillonel has flipped the script along with his newest venture: the primary Android telephone with a Lightning connector.

Admittedly, an Android telephone with a Lightning port doesn’t have practically the identical type of cross-over enchantment as a USB-C iPhone, however that’s OK. In his initial video, Pillonel says the machine was meant to be extra of a enjoyable venture created to “balance the chaos” unleashed by his earlier machine, with the discharge intentionally timed for April Fools’ Day.

However, placing this factor collectively was no joke, as a result of whereas the idea is perhaps foolish, the Lightning port on the Android telephone (on this case a Samsung Galaxy A51) is absolutely purposeful for each charging and knowledge switch. “[This] was a complex modification that required some out-of-the-box thinking,” mentioned Pillonel. And once I received the possibility to ask concerning the venture’s greatest challenges, Pillonel instructed Engadget the toughest half was determining learn how to make every thing really work collectively.

“The Lightning cables sold by Apple are not ‘dumb,’” he mentioned. “They will only charge Apple devices. So I had to find a way to trick the cable into thinking it was plugged into an Apple device. And the whole thing needs to fit inside the phone, which is another challenge in itself.”

Thankfully, Pillonel has discovered a factor or two since his earlier venture, which helped lay the groundwork for his newest machine. “I would say it was easier to do than the first USB-C iPhone for two reasons,” he mentioned. “The first is that I’m getting better at it because I’m learning new things every day, so hopefully I can finish these mods faster and faster. The second reason is that the quality of the finished product is nowhere near what it was for the iPhone.”

And whereas I might posit that an Android telephone with a Lightning port is a particular downgrade by way of usability in comparison with a typical USB-C port, that does not appear to hassle Pillonel. “I don’t expect anyone in their right mind wanting to do this to their device,” he mentioned. “It was for fun, I just wanted to see if I could do it.”

So what’s the subsequent transfer for this distinctive gadget? For these searching for extra particulars about what went into the venture, Pillonel says he’s engaged on a full-length clarification video coming quickly to his YouTube channel. As for the telephone itself, Pillonel says he’ll most likely simply preserve it after working into points when he put the unique USB-C iPhone up for public sale on eBay, which ended up garnering faux bids in extra of $100,000.

“I didn’t want to force trying to sell it because that’s not really who I am. I want to focus on my engineering and science projects,” Pillonel mentioned. And whereas these customized mods won’t be everybody’s dream machine, they’re an awesome instance of what will be carried out even with out the assistance of the businesses that initially made them.