Last year, engineer Ken Pillonel caused a stir after creating the world's first iPhone with a USB-C port. This time Pillonel revealed his new project which is to create the first Android phone with a Lightning port.
The project is showcased through a video uploaded on YouTube. Although the video was uploaded on April 1st, Pillonel reassures that this is not April Fools' Day.
"This is not a serious project, just for fun. It's real, but don't take it too seriously," Pillonel said in the description in the video, as quoted from Engadget, Saturday (2/4/2022).
"I'm also waiting to upload this video on April 1. So if you see angry comments, let them know they are April Fools," he continued.
The Android phone that Pillonel is experimenting with is the Samsung Galaxy A51. As silly as it sounds, the paired Lightning port actually works for recharging the battery and transferring data.
Pillonel said it was a complex modification project and required out-of-the-box thinking. To Engadget, Pillonel said the hardest part of the project was how to make the Android and iPhone parts work together.
"The Lightning cable sold by Apple is not stupid. It can only charge Apple devices," said Pillonel.
"So I had to figure out a way to trick the cable into thinking it was plugged into an Apple device. And everything had to fit inside the phone, and that was a challenge in itself."
Fortunately Pillonel had learned a lot when he first created his modified phone. He admitted that the process of installing a Lightning port to an Android phone was much easier than making an iPhone with a USB-C port.
Pillonel didn't expect anyone else to follow in his footsteps. He will still provide a more detailed explanation of this project through the next video that will be uploaded on YouTube.
As for the phone itself, Pillonel said he might keep it for personal collection. When creating the first iPhone with USB-C, Pillonel tried to sell it at auction on eBay but was flooded with fake offers for over $100,000.
"I don't want to be forced to sell it because it's not the real me. I want to focus on engineering and science projects," said Pillonel.