It's nearly September, meaning that new iPhones are just around the corner. All four upcoming iPhone 15 models are widely expected to be equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning, but there may be speed differences across the lineup.
In November 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max would support at least the USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3 specifications for data transfer speeds up to 20 or 40 Gbps. Kuo said the USB-C port on the lower-end iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models would remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, which is the same speed as Lightning on existing iPhones.
All current-generation iPad and Mac models already have USB-C ports with varying speeds:
| Device | USB-C Specification |
|---|---|
All current Mac models |
Thunderbolt (Up to 40 Gbps) |
iPad Pro (2021 and 2022) |
Thunderbolt (Up to 40 Gbps) |
iPad Pro (2018 and 2020) |
USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Up to 10 Gbps) |
iPad Air (2022) |
USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Up to 10 Gbps) |
iPad Air (2020) |
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Up to 5 Gbps) |
iPad mini (2021) |
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Up to 5 Gbps) |
iPad (2022) |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
The rumored speeds for the iPhone 15 lineup:
| Device | USB-C Specification |
|---|---|
iPhone 15 Pro Max |
USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt (Up to 20 or 40 Gbps) |
iPhone 15 Pro |
USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt (Up to 20 or 40 Gbps) |
iPhone 15 Plus |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
iPhone 15 |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
iPhones with Lightning |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
Higher speeds allow for faster data transfer over a USB-C or Thunderbolt cable, such as when exporting photos from an iPhone to a Mac.
Rumors suggest that Apple will include a new braided USB-C cable with all iPhone 15 models, but the cable might remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds. This means that customers purchasing an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max would need to purchase a higher-spec cable separately to take advantage of the faster speeds that are rumored.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 series at an event that is rumored to be planned for Tuesday, September 12. Apple has yet to officially announce the event, but invites will likely go out in the next week or two.
