An enthusiast who modified an Apple iPhone X with a Type-C charging slot has managed to sell the device on eBay for a whopping $86,001.
The Frankenstein creation was created by robotics student Ken Pillonel, who is studying for his Master’s degree in Robotics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The auction for the device commenced November 1st but exploded last week, even reaching $1 million at one point (via iMore).
The modified iPhone X reportedly works quite perfectly and not only supports charging through USB Type-C cables but also data transfer.
While the auction for the device did slowly but steadily climb to around $14,000 within a week or so, a big bid of $30,000 dropped and changed everything. Soon after, more outlandish bids began to pour in, with some even reaching above a million Dollars, although those were found to be fake. The bidding then stabilized between $86,000 and $90,000 but Mr. Pillonel finally settled for $85,000. The amount isn’t bad at all though – almost 86 times higher than the iPhone X’s original price.
The deal closed at 11 am ET and is no longer listed on the site.
Ken Pillonel had the following to say about the modified iPhone X:
“This is it. I’ve finally built the World’s First iPhone with a USB Type-C port. It supports charging and data transfers. The first part was about getting the electronics to work. Then the next step was to reverse-engineer the Apple C94 connector and make my own PCB with a female USB C port. Then the schematics for the project were set and tested and the final was to make it fit inside the iPhone! I’m very happy to show you this mod in the form of a Youtube Short.”
The phone’s new owner has secured a “true piece of collection for any Apple fanboy out there.” However, the device’s listing had a few conditions associated with it. The buyer had to agree not to restore, update, erase the phone, or use it as their daily driver, so there’s that. The deal also included an optional 30-minute call with the creator in case of any questions.
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