iPhone 15's USB-C Port Remains Limited to Lightning Speeds

[MacRumors]

While the new standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are equipped with a USB-C port, data transfer over a cable remains limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, which is equal to the Lightning port on previous iPhones. Apple confirmed this detail in its tech specs for the devices posted on the company's website.

The higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are also equipped with a USB-C port, but those devices support USB 3 data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps over a cable. Unlike recent iPad Pro models, this means that the Pro models unfortunately do not support Thunderbolt, which theoretically supports speeds up to 40 Gbps.

iPhone 15 Pro models will require a supported cable, such as Apple's one-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable, to achieve USB 3 data transfer speeds.

All four iPhone 15 models are available to pre-order this Friday and launch September 22.

Article Link: iPhone 15's USB-C Port Remains Limited to Lightning Speeds

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

really pathetic in 2023

 

[Shadex05]

Meh.. I’ll,wait for iPhone 16 pro… I think it’ll be major upgrade

 

[supremedesigner]

🤣 That is a bummer! It is more like the iPhone 14.5, not 15.

 

[iOS Geek]

I think "malicious compliance" is a good description for this. But hey...the EU mandated it...people cheered for it. You wanted it...You got it...and ONLY that 😂

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Wow! It should not be limited. This is unnecessary. Don't tell me Apple is doing this to be, "Environmentally friendly".

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

No-one is using this port for data, ffs. I mean like twelve people maybe. The only thing 99% people do is plug in and charge.

 

[JPack]

Be thankful we got 2.0 speeds. 😄

In theory, USB-C supports 1.1 speeds.

 

[aeternitas]

As a 14 Pro Max owner this iPhone is a hard pass for me. During previous years there was always something that baited me to buy the latest and greatest. This year there is nothing - not even better battery life.

 

[COrocket]

I legitimately can not remember the last time I used my iPhone to transfer data to or from a computer using a Lightning cord. Who cares.

The big deal is that I can charge my MacBook, iPad, and now iPhone without having to carry around multiple cords.

 

[wigby]

Wow! It should not be limited. This is unnecessary. Don't tell me Apple is doing this to be, "Environmentally friendly".

It's even more unnecessary to connect any cable for data transfer to any phone unless you're frequently moving over large chunks of data -> you're a pro -> buy iPhone Pro.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

So, do they require a special usb-c apple cable with IC chip? Or nah

 

[wigby]

As a 14 Max owner this iPhone is a hard pass for me. On previous years there was always something that baited me to buy the latest and greatest. This year there is nothing, not even a better battery life.

The bait for you is the pro model.

 

[pdaholic]

I’m just hoping usb-c to hdmi will be a better experience than lightning to hdmi. Apple will likely find a way to sabotage it!

 

[supremedesigner]

I legitimately can not remember the last time I used my iPhone to transfer data to or from a computer using a Lightning cord. Who cares.

I feel the same way! I would rather have faster charging than faster data transfer. 😂

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Just dazzling. This required a corporate decision... to choose to keep the speed USB2/Lightning while adopting USB-C in devices priced towards $1000 in typical configurations. Dazzling!

 

[STC1709]

No-one is using this port for data, ffs. I mean like twelve people maybe. The only thing 99% people do is plug in and charge.

exactly my thoughts

 

[Schmitti81]

Could this be because A17 has only usb-3 chip and no thunderbolt controller?
Also the A16 may not have USB-C controller, so only USB-2.
Maybe Macrumors team could check?

 

[aeternitas]

The bait for you is the pro model.

I edited my post. I meant the 14 Pro Max.

 

[Populus]

I expect this to improve next year with the iPhone 16, with the integrated USB-C controller on the SoC, just like the A17 Pro.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Is anyone thinking Thunderbolt for the iPhone 15 Pro Models would have been excellent?

 

[pplfn]

No-one is using this port for data, ffs. I mean like twelve people maybe. The only thing 99% people do is plug in and charge.

I'm with you, and probably this helped to keep the price the same.

 

[mdnz]

🤣 That is a bummer! It is more like the iPhone 14.5, not 15.

And the iPhone 14 was basically a 13. So it's actually a 13.5

 

[davidg4781]

That link is to the wrong item.

But why do we need to buy a Thunderbolt cable if the iPhone Pros do not support Thunderbolt? Was that an example since that's the only one capable of USB 3.1 that Apple sells?

I've been wanting the switch to USB-C since everything's moving towards that but this is the reason I don't like it. With USB 2.0, I could pick up any USB cable and it would work at that speeds. With 3.0, when it was new, we had to make sure it had the blue part. Here we are, what, 10 years later or so? I still can't grab a cable with a USB-C end and expect it to work at least at 3.0 speeds.

 

[davidg4781]

And the iPhone 14 was basically a 13. So it's actually a 13.5

So the 14 was a 13s and this is the 13sC?