Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPhone 15‘s transition to USB-C next year will result in higher wired transfer speeds but only on iPhone 15 Pro models.
Kuo says that while all iPhone 15 models will replace their Lightning ports with USB-C, standard iPhone 15 models will continue to feature USB 2.0 speeds, the same as Lightning.
Kuo says that iPhone 15 Pro transfer speeds will likely “improve markedly,” with support for “at least” USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3. iPhone 15 Pro models will be able to transfer video files and other file types at quicker speeds. Kuo says that will result in a significantly improved user experience.
Thunderbolt 3 supports data transfer speeds up to 40Gb/s, while USB 2.0 transfer speeds are limited to 480Mb/s. USB 3.2 supports speeds up to 20Gb/s.
Apple is replacing the Lightning port on its iPhone and other devices with a USB-C port to comply with new European Union rules.
Apple products that currently feature a Lightning connector, that will have to adopt USB-C if newer models go on sale in 2025 or later to comply with the new law, include:
- iPhone
- AirPods Charging Case
- Accessories, including MagSafe Battery Pack, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, EarPods, and Beats products
