iPhone 15's USB-C Port: 4.5W Charging for Accessories, USB 3.2 Gen 2 for Pro Models, and More

[mrochester]

I just double checked, even the $1200+ (same price as iPhone 15 Pro Max) Galaxy S22Ultra has a USB-C3.0 port.
But guess what it ships with?
Hint: it’s the same speed cable that ships with the iPhone. Nothing more special than a USB-C2.0 charging cable.

Sadly, when it’s related to Apple, it tends to get a special type of faux outrage.

 

[NagasakiGG]

I don't get it why people flame about USB C 2.0. I haven't plugged into my iPhone into my Mac for ages. Also, if you want Pro features just buy a Pro. The average dude purchasing a non-Pro won't even know what the difference is

 

[slplss]

Apple is the only company that would ship their flagship phones with crippled cables. I have plenty of USB 3.2 cables but I wouldn’t mind a fancy new braided 3.2 cable included in €1500 package. But no, they want to save every cent. And want you to buy the 3.2. To ship another box. 🌿🌿🌿🤡

 

[aleni]

Every cents saved count
- Tim Cook

 

[mrochester]

Apple is the only company that would ship their flagship phones with crippled cables. I have plenty of USB 3.2 cables but I wouldn’t mind a fancy new braided 3.2 cable included in €1500 package. But no, they want to save every cent. And buy the 3.2. To ship another box. 🌿🌿🌿

You might want to investigate that claim further 😛

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Apple is the only company that would ship their flagship phones with crippled cables.

please tell me what the $1199 Galaxy S23U includes in its box.
Or the $1800 Pixel Fold.

 

[slplss]

You might want to investigate that claim further 😛

But then I couldn’t rant 😉.

 

[Ntombi]

There shouldn’t be a cable in the box at all. Most of the people already have chargers and cables.

The problem is that they die on a regular basis. I buy braided brand name cables, and throw out at least two per year. Conservatively.

I have over a dozen, about half a dozen in regular use, but getting a charging cable with each new iPhone is always welcome.

I thought it was cheap of Apple to stop including the chargers, but I quickly came around. Those last for many years, and the vast majority of people have enough. The cables really are a different story.

 

[Sebalto]

I don't get it why people flame about USB C 2.0. I haven't plugged into my iPhone into my Mac for ages. Also, if you want Pro features just buy a Pro. The average dude purchasing a non-Pro won't even know what the difference is

You didn't read the article did you?

 

[Abazigal]

Apple is the only company that would ship their flagship phones with crippled cables. I have plenty of USB 3.2 cables but I wouldn’t mind a fancy new braided 3.2 cable included in €1500 package. But no, they want to save every cent. And want you to buy the 3.2. To ship another box. 🌿🌿🌿🤡

Which other android smartphone comes with a usb3.0 or thunderbolt charging cable in the box?

 

[ninecows]

The idea is that you include in the box what people need. We already don’t include headphones and charging bricks because people don’t need them. Once there are enough USBC to USBC charging cables in the wild they will also be removed. The only thing people will need when they buy a new phone is the phone itself; the rest of the stuff is surplus to requirements.

Not true. I had to go and buy the charger every time I bought a iPhone the latest years to my family because they’re upgrading the provided cables from USB-A to USB-C making my old chargers useless. People had lots of USB-A chargers and Apple provided a cable that didn’t match without providing a new charger.

 

[slplss]

Which other android smartphone comes with a usb3.0 or thunderbolt charging cable in the box?

I somewhat assumed if say Oneplus 11 come with overkill 100W charger it’ll include 3.2 too.
Could’ve been at least braided.

 

[Abazigal]

I somewhat assumed if say Oneplus 11 come with overkill 100W charger it’ll include 3.2 too.

My assumption is that unless stated otherwise somewhere on the box, the charging cable is limited to 2.0 transfer speeds by default. That's been my overall observation when I purchased tech gadgets over the last few years. Bundled charging cables have always been 2.0 (like the one that came with my iPad Pro and my dad's Sony phone), the only 3.0 ones came with my Samsung T5 SSD, I haven't tested what the speed of the cable that came with my portable monitor is, and I have had to purchase all my 3.0 / 3.1 / 3.2 cables separately prior.

I don't know how much money is saved exactly by doing this, but it's evidently enough for smartphone companies to not include a usb 3.0 or faster cable as the default. I suppose when Apple expects to ship tens of millions of Pro iPhone models, even a few cents of savings per unit adds up.

 

[SpotOnT]

You could see the trajectory in the previous USB-C equipped Apple products.

iPad Pro: TB 3/USB 4 (40 Gbps)
iPad Air: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb)
iPad mini: USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gb)
iPad 10: USB 2 (480 Mb)

Spreading it out like this allowed Apple to get usage data on all 4 products and match solutions. They chose the USB 3.1/3.2 Gen 2 part because they felt 10 Mbps was enough for the vast majority of users. It also kept costs down compared to including a TB controller for TB 3/4 support, not to mention leaving that option for an “Ultra” iPhone next year. I imagine that was as much a factor as anything in not going with the Ultra moniker this year.

Fact is USB C is far more a charging method than a data transfer method. Apple wanted to deprecate wires but it hasn’t worked out the way they wanted, so they’re going with a cable for the next several years. If they need to bump up data speed or charging capacity it’s all there in the spec for future iPhones. Personally I have all these old USB-C charging cables that came with my MacBooks that I can easily repurpose for the iPhone 15 Pro I‘m getting next week.

What makes you think a TB controller is more expensive to fabricate than a USB controller?

I mean Apple isn’t buying these controllers - they are built into into the A series chip….

There might be all sorts of reasons Apple went with USB 3 vs TB 3, but I bet cost isn’t one of them.

 

[MrRom92]

What makes you think a TB controller is more expensive to fabricate than a USB controller?

I mean Apple isn’t buying these controllers - they are built into into the A series chip….

There might be all sorts of reasons Apple went with USB 3 vs TB 3, but I bet cost isn’t one of them.

Unless anyone has some kind of explanation to the contrary, the iPhone would not benefit from TB3 in any way shape or form. So USB 3.2 was absolutely the right move here. Making it a TB device, for it to only operate at (or below) USB 3.2 spec, while also locking out people who have computers with USB 3.2 and can’t use TB devices, this would’ve sucked for a lot of people big time.

 

[n-evo]

Atrocious out of the box or since an update?

Starting day one it has been leagues worse than my iPhone 13 Pro before it. Even at the Amsterdam Apple Store they admitted they get lots of complaints and have has the same issue with their own iPhone 14 Pros. It improved somewhat after restoring my iPhone via DFU mode.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Good to know I can chsrge my watcn If need be.

"Typed on my apple watch"

 

[darngooddesign]

Unless anyone has some kind of explanation to the contrary, the iPhone would not benefit from TB3 in any way shape or form. So USB 3.2 was absolutely the right move here. Making it a TB device, for it to only operate at (or below) USB 3.2 spec, while also locking out people who have computers with USB 3.2 and can’t use TB devices, this would’ve sucked for a lot of people big time.

The iPad Pros have TB ports; they can be used on computers with USB3.2 or even USB2.0. Nothing would be locked out if the iPhone Pros had TB.

 

[68000/030]

You name something "Pro" for which you ask a lot of money and with which you include only one damn accessory that is the cable, you should make that cable "pro" too. It's embarrassing, especially when you boast so much the new USB3 controller during presentation

And I don't care if Samsung or Google or whatever does the same - it's their customers who should complain about it, not me.

 

[flogician]

So people who buy a $1K+ Pro model and use the cable that came with it will be crippled on speed, possibly without even knowing it? Jesus, Apple, just how cheap are you? That's so awful.

It's not just the $5 they might pay for each "Pro" cable by supplying it with the phone; it's also the $69 in lost sales from people not buying the "Pro" cable. Yes, these cables can be readily found much cheaper from other sources, but most people are just going to buy whatever Apple sells rather than try to decipher a chart full of of various cables that all fit the USB-C form factor.

 

[dumastudetto]

I can’t believe Apple is not including a USB 3 cable with the Pro phones. There really is no excuse to pinch pennies like that on a premium device.

Almost nobody needs a USB 3 cable. It is bad for the environment to include something nobody needs.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Pretty much all usbc charging cables are USB2. There’s nothing unique or special about it.

I stand corrected, thank you.

 

[fwmireault]

So people who buy a $1K+ Pro model and use the cable that came with it will be crippled on speed, possibly without even knowing it? Jesus, Apple, just how cheap are you? That's so awful.

I don’t know why people expected otherwise, Apple doesn’t provide higher end Thunderbolt cables in the Macs and iPads even if they support it. I’m not even sure if the charging cable for iPad Pros is USB 3.2. I would think not.

Many people on this very forum argued that most individuals, including most of those buying the Pro iPhone, never transfer data over the cable. So in that case it doesn’t make sense to provide a more expensive cable to consumers that wouldn’t use it to its full capabilities in 99% of the cases. Pros who really need faster transfer speed capabilities most likely already own a USB 3 cable anyway.

 

[Wowmail]

Plug in a steam deck charger. Bingo fast charge.
These chargers are ubiquitous.
USBC is all over the place.

 

[Damian83]

There shouldn’t be a cable in the box at all. Most of the people already have chargers and cables.

False, usb-c cables are still not so common unless u live with android users. And even if u have some, u’ll realize soon most of them, if not all, are charging only...