iPhone 16 USB-C Still Limited to USB 2, No Change for 16 Pro Either

[steve09090]

Amusing that you think this would cost the user extra. Apple prices their phones in $100 increments. Do you think this would make every iPhone $100 more expensive? If not, well guess what? The prices probably wouldn't change at all. Apple already prices their devices at the maximum they think each buyer demographic is willing to pay, not how much the phones actually cost them to build. They have a minimum margin, but no maximum margin, including USB 2 wouln't put them at risk of dropping below their minimum margin for shipping a product. The only thing at risk would be their maximum margins.

It's really just about opportunity cost for Apple: 1a (they want you to buy the pro phone, so they will purposely withhold attractive features from the base model, often regardless of cost) and 1b (they definitely want you to pay for iCloud, so all potential competition must be blocked or impaired).

It’s about not confusing buying choices and trying to steer people toward the Pro model. It’s that simple. If you don’t need the features on a pro version, don't buy the pro version. If you want those features, buy a pro version.

Seriously, how much do you think adding USB 3 to the base iPhone would cost? Think about it and put an actual number to it instead of living in "those that don't need it would be dramatically harmed by this" hypothetical land.

No idea, but it’s not the only difference.

6.3” v 6.1” screen
Pro Motion & Always on v 60Hz
titanium v aluminium
6 core v 5 core
3 cameras (telephoto) v 2
Dolby Vision v Not Dolby Vision
USB 3 v USB 2

I want an iPhone 16 with a telephoto camera. But I don’t want the rest or the $100 price difference. It all adds up to a different phone. None of those above make a serious cost difference, but together…???

If you want a built per order iPhone, you’re out of luck.

 

[steve09090]

I said direct to an SSD not indirect to a PC/Mac through software that hasn't been meaningfully updated in a decade over a data connection standard that came out nearly two and a half decades ago. What point were you trying to make? That better wired connectivity would make the iPhone worse? Have you considered your position or are you just acting out the weird nerd meme because I criticized Apple?

The only time I ever lost data on my iPhone was when I was travelling and couldn't connect to wifi for a few days and suffered a tragic accident with my phone, taking all my vacation photos with it. If I had a simple local backup option at the time, I would have taken it. Losing those photos was top of mind for me at the time, and then it happened. It's easier to make local back ups of photos now (if that's all you're concerned about) than when this incident happened, but Apple still doesn't treat wired connectivity as the first class option it should be.

Even if all you care about is cloud backup, Apple deprioritizing wired connectivity to boost iCloud revenue doesn't help you because now Apple isn't incentivized to improve iCloud options either. When you're already subbed to iCloud, and have no other real alternative, why should they put more effort into improving it? They already have your money. This lack of incentive really shows in their web interface imo. iCloud could be so much better if Apple had an incentive to make it better.

PS: you can upload a local backup to a cloud service of your choice (instead of being limited to icloud) and not lose your data when the house burns... You can also store a copy off-site, and house burning is one of the least frequent events that lead to data loss anyway. This is doubly true for a mobile device.

It sounds like you don’t actually want to be in the Apple ecosystem. Thats fine. No one has a problem with that.

Use what you want, buy what you what and make choices that suit you. Everyone is different. You do you.

 

[paradox00]

It’s about not confusing buying choices and trying to steer people toward the Pro model. It’s that simple. If you don’t need the features on a pro version, don't buy the pro version. If you want those features, buy a pro version.


No idea, but it’s not the only difference.

6.3” v 6.1” screen
Pro Motion & Always on v 60Hz
titanium v aluminium
6 core v 5 core
3 cameras (telephoto) v 2
Dolby Vision v Not Dolby Vision
USB 3 v USB 2

I want an iPhone 16 with a telephoto camera. But I don’t want the rest or the $100 price difference. It all adds up to a different phone. None of those above make a serious cost difference, but together…???

If you want a built per order iPhone, you’re out of luck.

There's zero consumer facing justification for running a USB standard from 2000 in 2024. No actual reason to be part of this bundle you mention. If Apple wants to make wired data speeds a differentiating factor, they could use a modern standard like USB4 for the pro and USB 3 for the base model instead of USB 3 and USB 2....

I've been an Apple customer for two decades, but I will point out when corporate interests are hurting the products they bring to market, because the products are what I care about. It's ok and healthy to acknowledge that a $3 trillion corporation is not always making product decisions that are in the customers best interests. The focus on services is a focus to take more money from every customer on a monthly basis. They block competition and limit their products in support of those ambitions. Neither is good for the customer.

 

[urtules]

USB-C connector with support for:
- Charging
- DisplayPort
- USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s)

USB 3 cable with 10Gb/s speed required.

Apple.

Is this article needs updating?

 

[AppliedMicro]

USB-C connector with support for:
- Charging
- DisplayPort
- USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s)

USB 3 cable with 10Gb/s speed required.

Apple.

Is this article needs updating?

…on the Pro models.

So did last year’s 15 Pro models support USB 3.

 

[steve09090]

There's zero consumer facing justification for running a USB standard from 2000 in 2024. No actual reason to be part of this bundle you mention. If Apple wants to make wired data speeds a differentiating factor, they could use a modern standard like USB4 for the pro and USB 3 for the base model instead of USB 3 and USB 2....

I've been an Apple customer for two decades, but I will point out when corporate interests are hurting the products they bring to market, because the products are what I care about. It's ok and healthy to acknowledge that a $3 trillion corporation is not always making product decisions that are in the customers best interests. The focus on services is a focus to take more money from every customer on a monthly basis. They block competition and limit their products in support of those ambitions. Neither is good for the customer.

I think Apple know their business more than you know their business and I'm not going to argue their business decisions. What you want for their consumers is different to what the company needs to do for its shareholders.

For me this is about the Choices we have with the products they deliver, not what I think would be better for the people on this planet based on fairness. If you want them to change, don’t buy their products. End of.

 

[paradox00]

It sounds like you don’t actually want to be in the Apple ecosystem. Thats fine. No one has a problem with that.

Use what you want, buy what you what and make choices that suit you. Everyone is different. You do you.

I see this comment all the time, but it makes no sense from my perspective. I've been an Apple customer since buying a MBP with OS X Tiger in university, and have 7 devices currently. I'm a long term customer and heavily invested in the ecosystem. I simply want the products I buy to be the best versions of themselves, and increasingly I see the hand of Apple corporate getting in between the product they ship and the best versions of themselves. I'm not going to pretend product every decision is good simply because I like their products (no one should, unless they genuinely believe that). That makes no sense. I don't want to see the products I buy needlessly limited at my (literal) expense.

I'm not blind to alternatives, so I will buy whatever best fits my needs. Unfortunately for this forum, my needs still include a lot of Apple products, so I will continue to point out product decisions that are objectively bad for consumers.

 

[paradox00]

I think Apple know their business more than you know their business and I'm not going to argue their business decisions. What you want for their consumers is different to what the company needs to do for its shareholders.

For me this is about the Choices we have with the products they deliver, not what I think would be better for the people on this planet based on fairness. If you want them to change, don’t buy their products. End of.

This is the fallacy of capitalism. There are only two mobile OS's both deeply entrenched. Both are engaged in anti-competitive practices that are harmful to consumers. There's no weight that consumers can bring to bear to bear to change this. "If you don't like, don't buy" doesn't work, you simply have to go with the least bad.

Ironically, I'm in favor of regulations that would make "if you don't like, don't buy" a more viable option (by opening up competition), but the same people telling me if you don't like don't buy are also against those.... can't win.

 

[steve09090]

I see this comment all the time, but it makes no sense from my perspective. I've been an Apple customer since buying a MBP with OS X Tiger in university, and have 7 devices currently. I'm a long term customer and heavily invested in the ecosystem. I simply want the products I buy to be the best versions of themselves, and increasingly I see the hand of Apple corporate getting in between the product they ship and the best versions of themselves. I'm not going to pretend product every decision is good simply because I like their products (no one should, unless they genuinely believe that). That makes no sense. I don't want to see the products I buy needlessly limited at my (literal) expense.

I'm not blind to alternatives, so I will buy whatever best fits my needs. Unfortunately for this forum, my needs still include a lot of Apple products, so I will continue to point out product decisions that are objectively bad for consumers.

Subjectively bad for consumers. For example, my partner hasn’t attached an iPhone to a Mac or Hard Drive of any persuasion ever! There are millions in that same category. If I tried to tell her the differences between USB 2 v 3 and Thunderbolt, she’d fall asleep. I would submit the vast majority of users could not care about connections or refresh rates of displays. They want wireless connection and airplay. Those that want Pro Motion or super fast connection or Dolby Vision would mostly want a Pro device anyway.

This is the fallacy of capitalism. There are only two mobile OS's both deeply entrenched. Both are engaged in anti-competitive practices that are harmful to consumers. There's no weight that consumers can bring to bear to bear to change this. "If you don't like, don't buy" doesn't work, you simply have to go with the least bad.

Ironically, I'm in favor of regulations that would make "if you don't like, don't buy" a more viable option (by opening up competition), but the same people telling me if you don't like don't buy are also against those.... can't win.

They currently have 5 different levels of iPhones and some of those have 2 sizes. There are choices. You can argue all you want about not providing whatever because "there is no reason not to". But it’s not a fallacy of capitalism at all. If anything it’s the Fallacy of Profit, but like before, I’m not arguing for or against Apples decisions. I’m just saying there are choices and the vast majority of people are actually catered for. Some just have to pay more for their top models to get it. They have been consistent with this for decades since they segregated the iPhone lineup into different models.

Things that actually matter for the vast majority of users, like the new shutter button are on both 16 models.

 

[User 6502]

the worst thing that Covid left us are the prerecorded keynotes, each prerecorded video is even more boring the last one.

Agreed. They’re so dull and uninspiring

 

[Adora]

Pixel, OnePlus (top tier models) and Samsung Galaxy S series all have USB 3.2 10 gbps Type C ports.

Apple knows very well that the moment they include 120hz screens and USB 3.2 Type C ports for their dirt tier iPhones, I WILL STOP BUYING THEIR OVERPRICED PRO MODELS and get their dirt tier non pro models. So these 2 features will never land on non pro models. Upselling is so hard here almost on “Desperate” levels.

Thanks.

He showed me only mid-tier models. But all brand new and also not cheap at all.

My first iPhone was a 5 and the second a 6. At least for the 6 I always thought it obviously has USB 3.0.

I was not very informed about USB speeds in those days and only noticed the iTunes backup/sync was always very slow.

I was really surprised when I read later that even my 6s Plus didn't have USB 3.0 yet. It's really unbelievable that USB 2.0 is still used for any Smartphone at all. The port is obviously not only for charging. Especially if there is only one.

When the first iPad Pro in 2016 finally got USB 3.0 I thought my next iPhone, what was an 8 Plus, and anything else released in the meantime and after will obviously have USB 3.0...

And now 8 years later when USB 3.1 and 3.2 both Gen 2 with double the speed is standard and 4.0 is out there for a while, we are still here with 2.0 on most iPhones and iPads. It's really unbelievable.

 

[bassexpander]

Apple began transitioning to USB-C instead of Lightning with the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup, and USB-C is also used for charging for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple did not improve connectivity speeds with the USB-C port in any of the new models, maintaining the status quo.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus continue to have USB 2 transfer speeds of up to 480Mb/s, while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max feature USB 3 transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s. 480Mb/s is the same transfer speed that the Lightning port supported.

During today's event, Apple mentioned faster USB 3 speeds when discussing the A18 Pro, which implied that it would be faster than the A17 Pro. It looks like Apple instead was comparing the A18 Pro to the A18 in that instance, ultimately highlighting a feature that was already present in the iPhone 15 Pro models.

Despite the confusing wording, technical specifications for the new iPhone 16 models suggest Apple has not made changes to any USB-C transfer speeds. Note that taking advantage of the 10Gb/s transfer speeds in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max requires an appropriate 10Gb/s USB-C cable.

Apple's iPad Pro models, which also have a USB-C port, support Thunderbolt transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s.

Article Link: iPhone 16 USB-C Still Limited to USB 2, No Change for 16 Pro Either

The iPhone 16 looks like a copy of the (yes, I am serious) North Korean Samtaesong 8.

 

[UliBaer]

The iPhone 16 looks like a copy of the (yes, I am serious) North Korean Samtaesong 8.

You are right!

 

[Stiksi]

How many people actually transfer a bunch of stuff regularly over USB? How many people would this actually matter to at all? It has to be a fraction of a single percentage point... something like .03%. And I mean both pro and non-pro iPhone users...

Almost no one is transferring anything over a wire in 2024. If it's important to you, buy the pro.

This is just something for people to get upset about.

Well I hate to break it to you but the 15 Pro still does backups and restores over USB 2 speeds even with the appropriate cable. There’s a whole thread on this

Just thought I would bring these two comments together. The answer is no one is transferring over a wire with an iPhone because it is dead slow. Transferring over wireless is also dead slow, but that is because of the limitation of wireless connections. The wire does not have to be slow, Apple just wants it to be slower than wireless.

Apple wants wireless devices for most people and will grudgingly give ”pro” devices faster transfer speeds because the competition has them. But whenever possible, they will try to make wireless the only practical option – hence the backup speed over a wire.

Of course, I live in an area where iCloud is so slow, a restore would take days, so I have to use the wired connection anyway, because hours is better than days. Apple could make it minutes, but won’t.

 

[rezwits]

How many people actually transfer a bunch of stuff regularly over USB? How many people would this actually matter to at all? It has to be a fraction of a single percentage point... something like .03%. And I mean both pro and non-pro iPhone users...

Almost no one is transferring anything over a wire in 2024. If it's important to you, buy the pro.

This is just something for people to get upset about.

The thing is what guys, USB3 @10Gb/s, is 20x faster than USB2? I mean we are literally at the cusp of TB5 and possible USB5, and not to mention it uses a USB-C. My only take would be any device that is HARD DRIVE-ish, with a USB-C connector should not be USB2 at this point. Keyboards, mice, etc sure, but not data transfer that's pretty disgusting!

 

[maverick2007]

I still have iphone 3 and if I compare iPhone 15 Pro max Transfer speed has improved significantly in last 16 years and you should appreciate apple innovation and effort to keep at USB 2 transfer speed. Its not fair to compare apple with Android phones, please. Hold middle finger, USB 3 will be launched in 2025. Apple is Greedy like hell and they know people are dumb AF stupid and they will buy even apple sells sh*t!

 

[Harry Haller]

Car companies hold back features to enforce subscriptions even on seat heaters Or GPS. It’s no different.

So Apple is morphing into Ford?
That’s kind of depressing.

 

[steve09090]

So Apple is morphing into Ford?
That’s kind of depressing.

Apple is being Apple. Ford can be Ford. I wouldn’t confuse the two. No need to be depressed.

Apple wants wireless devices for most people and will grudgingly give ”pro” devices faster transfer speeds because the competition has them. But whenever possible, they will try to make wireless the only practical option – hence the backup speed over a wire.

I think the iPhone video market would disagree. No camera phone has the positive reputation Apple has in this area even if they were actually capable (although they are not when you consider Apple ProRes). But whatever.

 

[johnmacward]

It doesn’t take long to do a sync. But you get what you pay for. If people 'need' (ahem) fast transfer then buy a device that does it. It is that simple. Or do you believe everyone should have it and that those that don’t want or need it should be paying extra for no purpose.

Seriously, you get what you pay for ? A phone that's a minimum of $800 isn't EXPENSIVE enough to warrant faster USB speeds of today or even 6 years ago, are you drunk ? The vast majority of people cannot justify paying $1000 (or more) for having just a faster cable interface that's been around for donkeys years. It poses the question - why does Apple increase Wifi speeds with each release (when in all honesty 802.11n would be absolutely sufficient for most people), or implement Bluetooth 5.4, or make the chips faster - many we don't deserve any of these improvements by the same logic.

There's two things here.

Firstly, they were forced to do it - the EU mandated it, it forced it for all of their markets, and there's a good chance they don't like being told how to make their products (even if its better for the consumer and the environment). So the slower speed might be a "we'll do the absolute minimum" to adhere to the new law.

Secondly, if the Pro line up has it and its NOT the most used feature, then we'll just include it in the Pro and force everyone to shell out a minimum of $200 more to have it.

It's ridiculously unjustifiable, if everything should be latest and greatest, then why not this too ?

 

[crsh1976]

During today's event, Apple mentioned faster USB 3 speeds when discussing the A18 Pro, which implied that it would be faster than the A17 Pro. It looks like Apple instead was comparing the A18 Pro to the A18 in that instance, ultimately highlighting a feature that was already present in the iPhone 15 Pro models.

Feels like an arbitrary choice rather than a chip design decision, considering there are so little differences between the A18 and the A18 Pro - the Pro has an extra GPU core, and that's about it (or so it seems).

I'm not even sure why the speed of the USB port matters on the non-pro model in this day and age (especially with wifi 7 now standard on all iPhones 16s).

It's a bigger deal the Pro models didn't get something better than USB 3.0 tho, a TB 3/4 port with lots of bandwidth and making external storage usage even better seems like a no-brainer for pros - but Apple decided otherwise.

 

[J53119]

...

Both Pixel Fold 9 and S24 Ultra have USB C 3.2. Where are you getting your info from??

 

[steve09090]

Both Pixel Fold 9 and S24 Ultra have USB C 3.2. Where are you getting your info from??

I did a couple of quick searches and that is what came up. I deleted the post as soon as I found the truth. I was wrong.

 

[steve09090]

It's a pity you don't do your research.

"We tested the USB capabilities of the S24 Ultra, and it's identical to the S24 and S24+. It has Host/OTG support, Display Port 1.2 over USB Alt mode, and it's backed up by a USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection, which tops out at 5 Gbps transfer speeds - not too shabby at all for a smartphone."

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review

The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with an OLED display that is great in many ways and... odd in a handful of others. It has a 6.8-inch diagonal in a 19.5:9...

www.gsmarena.com

The Pixel 9, 9 Pro and 9 Pro Fold are all USB-C 3.2 according to their maker - https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/7158570?hl=en#zippy=,pixel

And these 517 smartphones here are ALL USB 3.1 / 3.2 (granted that a lot on this list is repetitive due to different space options)...
https://www.epey.co.uk/phone/e/YTox...jA0OTg2NiI7aToxO3M6NjoiMTA3MzM0Ijt9fV9iOjA7=/

And I hate to be smarmy and smart ass, but what was your point ?

As above. I made an error and was wrong. I’m prepared to admit it when I am. Plus as I mentioned earlier. Most people couldn’t care about USB 3. But it’s in the iPhone 16/15 Pro anyway, if they do.

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

As much as any nerd or techie can criticize this as it would cost pennies to have much faster speeds, I don’t know that any person getting the 16/Plus would be affected by this. I doubt anyone even connects the device to a computer one single time throughout their entire ownership of the device. And, if they did it’s likely for recovery, not for pure transfer of anything and it would not amount to anything when it’s all said and done.

Pro I understand a bit more, and it could also be faster for pennies, and with all the push to make movies, shows, and music videos with it, I would think they’d push more for 20 or 40 Gbps speeds, perhaps even Thunderbolt.

I’m surprised that new iPad Pro and new iPhone 16 Pros aren’t TB3 or TB4. There’s definitely more room for criticism there.

 

[NT1440]

Why are they being such *******s about the USB port speeds!? There's no excuse at this point in 2024 for implementing USB 2 in a new, supposedly "market-leading" device. It just stinks of deliberately holding back features in order to iteratively drip-feed them over the next 10 years, instead of actually giving us a modern device. See also: Front Camera.

USB controllers take up space. Space not worth the distinction when normal people don’t use the cable for anything but charging.

I’d love if they included it in the die, but the year they gave fast USB C to the higher end models they showed the controller on the die shot.