Apple's iPhone 15 Pro may get faster USB-C ports than mainstream models

[Shawn Knight]

In a nutshell: Apple has already confirmed that the iPhone will abandon its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C. The first USB-C iPhones are expected next year but according to the latest guidance from one Apple analyst, they won't all be created equally.

In a recent post on Twitter, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said his latest survey indicates all new (2023) iPhones will ditch the Lightning connector and switch to USB-C. Only the two flagship models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, will support high-speed transfers. The two standard iPhone 15 models will max out at USB 2.0 speeds, Kuo added.

Furthermore, Kuo said he predicts the two flagships will support at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3.

The latest iPhones, including the flagship iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, are still limited to USB 2.0 speeds (480 Mbps) over the Lightning connector. Newer iPad Pro models support faster transfer speeds over their USB-C ports. Only recently have the latest flagship Android smartphones started shifting to speedier USB-C transfer tech.

Apple is shifting to USB-C in order to comply with a new European law mandating all small electronics come equipped with a standard (non-proprietary) charging port by 2024.

If Kuo is correct and Apple only ships the Pro models with a speedier transfer rate, it would create yet another differentiator between the mainstream iPhone line and the flagship tier. In reality, for most users, I don't think it's going to make much of a difference either way.

Perhaps I'm an exception, but when is the last time you connected your phone to your computer to transfer data? With the prevalence of streaming video and music services, cloud storage and wireless protocols, the need to link up over a wired connection just isn't as important now as it was, say, a decade ago. Perhaps those shooting in ProRAW might want to do some post-processing on a computer, but that's really the only situation that comes to mind.

Image credit: Mika Baumeister

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https://www.techspot.com/news/96690-apple-iphone-15-pro-may-have-faster-usb.html

 

[yRaz]

Perhaps I'm an exception, but when is the last time you connected your phone to your computer to transfer data?

I connected mine a few weeks ago to my desktop to use as a Hotspot because because some ldiot hit a pole and knocked out my internet

 

[madboyv1]

Perhaps I'm an exception, but when is the last time you connected your phone to your computer to transfer data?

I periodically connect my phone to transfer audio books to my phone, and manage my pictures from the computer rather than through the phone (I do not want or use cloud storage for photos). I *could* remove my microSD card and plug that into my card reader, but it shares the tray with my SIM card which well, phones don't like that being removed while on, and I'm often too lazy to get a pin or tray ejector bit.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Trillion dollar company playing catch up.
I'll pass every time.

 

[Uncle Al]

For what they cost they better be fast ..... darn fast!

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I periodically connect my phone to transfer audio books to my phone, and manage my pictures from the computer rather than through the phone (I do not want or use cloud storage for photos). I *could* remove my microSD card and plug that into my card reader, but it shares the tray with my SIM card which well, phones don't like that being removed while on, and I'm often too lazy to get a pin or tray ejector bit.

I connect mine when I need to move large amounts of data, like putting new music or video, or when doing local backups of my photos.

Also when I want to use hotspot, because my desktops do not have WiFi. Or if I need to restore someone's phone after a failed update, which has happened a few times.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Maybe by the time the iPhone 17 comes out they'll support USB 3 10Gb/s

 

[RaXelliX]

I connected mine a few weeks ago to my desktop to use as a Hotspot because because some ldiot hit a pole and knocked out my internet

I connect mine every week to move large multi gigabyte backups to PC.

 

[bviktor]

Yeah, because cable transfers require so much bandwidth.

 

[MephiSkA]

"Only recently have the latest flagship Android smartphones started shifting to speedier USB-C transfer tech." - My Samsung phones have all been USB-C since 2017 when I bought my Samsung Galaxy S8 and I know of other brands which had started using the USB-C port before Samsung. Since you mention "flagship" Android smartphones, we can easily say that it they have changed the connector to the universal USB-C since at least 2017, which for me is not "recent" in the topic of technology. Apple just refused the change to the universal connector everyone else uses for 6 years and they had to be forced to do so.