Apple could ship USB-C on all iPhones, but only Pro models could get faster transfer

iPhone with USB-C port instead of Lightning is inevitable now. The European Union will force Apple to implement the technology on its phones, having given up on proprietary ports on other product categories like the iPad anyway. But it looks like the upgrades will come, as we’ve been used to for a few years now, only on the top of the range “Pro” models. Standard models will also have USB-C, but without a transfer speed or charging upgrade.

iPhone 15 Pro models could finally offer USB 3.2 speeds over USB-C

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the Taiwanese business analyst famous for his insights on Apple, the American company will launch the iPhone 15 series next year, consisting of four models, all equipped with USB-C. It seems, however, that ditching Lightning won’t bring the long-awaited benefits on all devices, but only on the Pro variants, which were also most in need of an upgrade.

Since Lightning debuted in 2012, at the time, the port was developed for compatibility with the USB 2.0 standard, providing the transfer speeds needed at that time. In the meantime, however, USB has evolved to version 4.0, and transfer speeds are now much higher. Since iPhones have been able to shoot in ProRes format for two generations now, the need for higher data transfer speeds is growing, and the Lightning port with USB 2.0 is not enough.

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My latest survey indicates all 2H23 new iPhones will abandon Lightning and change to USB-C, but only two high-end models (15 Pro & 15 Pro Max) will support the wired high-speed transfer, and the two standard ones (15 & 15 15 Plus) still support USB 2.0 same as Lightning.

– 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) November 17, 2022

Kuo says Apple will integrate USB-C ports compatible with either the USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3 standard on iPhone 15 Pro models, for much faster transfers from smartphone to computer. Unfortunately, the “standard” iPhone 15 won’t be so lucky. It and the Plus model will get USB-C, but with USB 2.0 speeds, just like before. The only advantage for them thus becomes that they can be charged with standard cables.