ACCESSORY
Lightning → 3.5 mm Headphone Adapter (MFi DAC)
Specifications
| Category | Adapter |
|---|---|
| Brand | MFi |
| Material | Aluminum shell, MFi-certified Lightning plug |
| Sizes | one size |
| Use case | Add a 3.5 mm headphone jack to Lightning-equipped iPhones and iPads. |
| Price (USD) | $35 |
Overview
Active Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm TRS adapter with a built-in DAC and amplifier — the iPhone equivalent of the USB-C dongle DAC. MFi-certified (Made For iPhone) so it passes Apple’s authentication chip handshake required for digital audio over Lightning.
Standard Apple OEM unit is the minimum-viable implementation (16-bit / 48 kHz, very low output power). Premium audiophile MFi adapters from manufacturers like Apogee and Mojo include a proper headphone amp stage and decode hi-res audio up to 24-bit / 96 kHz.
The 3.5 mm jack for iPhones running iOS over Lightning (pre-iPhone 15). For USB-C models see USB-C → 3.5 mm adapter.