iPhone Air iPhone Air USB-C no DisplayPort??

[Mescagnus]

I find no definite information on this, and I get conflicting opinions:

Base iPhone 16 (and 16 Plus) have USB-C with USB 2.0 speeds. However, both still support DisplayPort, for AR glasses for example.

Does iPhone Air USB 2.0 USB-C support DisplayPort, or did Apple drop it, which would be a downgrade?

 

[citivolus]

We won’t know definitively until it’s actually released and someone tries it, but it looks like Apple removed it since it is not listed on the tech specs page for the iPhone Air whereas it is listed on the tech specs page for the iPhone 16:

iPhone Air - Technical Specifications

View all technical specifications for iPhone Air.

www.apple.com

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus - Technical Specifications

View all technical specifications for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

www.apple.com

Pretty shocking that they went with USB2 in the first place, and if the Air also doesn’t support DisplayPort, then that pretty much eliminates it for me😕

 

[gomakoto]

Seems odd as even really old phones support this. And the air has a pro chip. Maybe they forgot to include it in description.

 

[citivolus]

I think there is a zero per cent chance that this is an oversight…

 

[4sallypat]

We won’t know definitively until it’s actually released and someone tries it, but it looks like Apple removed it since it is not listed on the tech specs page for the iPhone Air whereas it is listed on the tech specs page for the iPhone 16:

iPhone Air - Technical Specifications

View all technical specifications for iPhone Air.

www.apple.com

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus - Technical Specifications

View all technical specifications for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

www.apple.com

Pretty shocking that they went with USB2 in the first place, and if the Air also doesn’t support DisplayPort, then that pretty much eliminates it for me😕

Noob question:

Can I ask what the DP feature does ? Is it for external displays like connecting to a monitor?

And USB2 is something I don't use on my iPhone - I just use the port to charge.

Maybe I don't see the disadvantages ?

 

[citivolus]

Yes DisplayPort is a specification that allows you to connect your iPhone to an external monitor. By limiting the speed to USB2, Apple has reduced the usefulness of the USB-C port on the iPhone Air since people cannot use it to connect external storage and other peripherals that require faster speeds.

 

[4sallypat]

Yes DisplayPort is a specification that allows you to connect your iPhone to an external monitor. By limiting the speed to USB2, Apple has reduced the usefulness of the USB-C port on the iPhone Air since people cannot use it to connect external storage and other peripherals that require faster speeds.

Ah thank you for that!

I understand now.

Didn't know people used iPhones like a computer or tablet (I am old school).

I never use the phone to connect to external devices so it's a moot point for me.

Q:
Instead of a cable connection, can the iPhone use Airplay wirelessly to connect to Apple TV and other screen sharing / casting monitors ?

 

[citivolus]

Yes, iPhone Air still supports AirPlay as you describe…

 

[adnanj91]

Just tried this today with my new iPhone Air. No display out confirmed.. thinking of returning it now

 

[canadianpj]

I'm baffled by the need for it on a phone or tablet? Sure, I guess.

 

[gomakoto]

Just tried this today with my new iPhone Air. No display out confirmed.. thinking of returning it now

Whoa that’s kinda a big deal. I bought the bigger version so I could load it up with movies, so I could connect to hotels when I travel.

Is there a hdmi adapter I can use or anything?

 

[adnanj91]

Whoa that’s kinda a big deal. I bought the bigger version so I could load it up with movies, so I could connect to hotels when I travel.

Is there a hdmi adapter I can use or anything?

Don't think there is way to enable it by any means. I tried first with my AR glasses that work directly through USB-C. Then I tried with the USB-C to HDMI adapter and no display with that either.

 

[citivolus]

Don't think there is way to enable it by any means. I tried first with my AR glasses that work directly through USB-C. Then I tried with the USB-C to HDMI adapter and no display with that either.

Pretty disappointing but not surprising as expected.

 

[zonai]

I'm baffled by the need for it on a phone or tablet? Sure, I guess.

Apple has been promoting games on iPhone, and the external controller support for Xbox or PS5 Dualsense. So if you plug your phone into a monitor or TV, you can play games there. Or you can play certain content which scales to the full external monitor output. iPads with M1 or whatever got the multitasking feature where they can scale to a second display and act a bit like a MacBook connected to a monitor.

 

[gomakoto]

Don't think there is way to enable it by any means. I tried first with my AR glasses that work directly through USB-C. Then I tried with the USB-C to HDMI adapter and no display with that either.

Wait? Even with the av HDMI adapter it doesn’t work???!

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Just tried with Viture Pro XR glasses and it doesn’t work. Now I know that the Air doesn’t support displayport. Hmm, what to do now?

 

[littlepud]

No way it’ll work. USB-C display-out requires 3.0 speeds, but the port is only USB 2.0.

 

[citivolus]

No way it’ll work. USB-C display-out requires 3.0 speeds, but the port is only USB 2.0.

That’s actually not correct. iPhone 17 is USB2 and does support DisplayPort output over USB-C.

It’s well-known that Apple sometimes uses marketing reasons alone to hold back features, and unfortunately this is one of them.

 

[Mazda 3s]

That’s actually not correct. iPhone 17 is USB2 and does support DisplayPort output over USB-C.

It’s well-known that Apple sometimes uses marketing reasons alone to hold back features, and unfortunately this is one of them.

Just found this out the hard way with my iPhone Air. I went to hook up my Xreal One Pro glasses and got a “no video input” error on the glasses. I plugged them into my wife’s base 17 and they work fine.

This is straight up bull 💩

 

[JPack]

No way it’ll work. USB-C display-out requires 3.0 speeds, but the port is only USB 2.0.

It works because it’s two entirely different things.

DisplayPort Alt Mode uses pins in USB-C that are not used by USB 2.0.

 

[Ctrlos]

That’s actually not correct. iPhone 17 is USB2 and does support DisplayPort output over USB-C.

It’s well-known that Apple sometimes uses marketing reasons alone to hold back features, and unfortunately this is one of them.

It may be that the 3D printed USB-C port can't handle it. It may only have the connections for power.

 

[citivolus]

It may be that the 3D printed USB-C port can't handle it. It may only have the connections for power.

I don’t think so. If anyone can make a technical solution happen, it’s Apple.

Also, according to this teardown by iFixit, they indicate that the USB-C port itself is standard, just the housing may have been 3-D printed.

 

[kitt9000]

Besides the notably better battery of the iphone 17 pro for my daily usage coming from a 16 pro and after trying the Air for 2 weeks, the fact that my Xreal one pro didnt work with the Air when I tried the Air was a second reason I returned the Air; this despite loving the form factor and light weight of the Air.

 

[JPack]

It may be that the 3D printed USB-C port can't handle it. It may only have the connections for power.

No, it would be missing the retimers and redrivers needed to maintain the DP high speed signals. Those chips need space and cost.