It has been known for some time that Apple will have to switch to USB-C for future iPhones. However, contradictory information continues to come about whether this change will take place during the iPhone 15 period. Finally, an important source says that this can happen and that this transition will result in higher data transfer rates, at least on some models.
The entire iPhone 15 series will feature a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, says Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with a significant track record in Apple information. However, Kuo says only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will benefit from the extra speed potential of USB-C. These two phones will reportedly support USB-C 3.2 data transfer speeds that can reach 20Gbps or Thunderbolt 3 speeds that can go up to 40Gbps.
But the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Max will only get stuck at USB 2.0 speeds of 480 Mbps, the same as Lightning. So if Kuo’s claims are true, one of the main advantages of switching to USB-C will be exclusive to the more expensive Pro models only.
Of course, this is a claim; but at least it’s true that the transition to USB-C is certain. The EU says Apple should make the change by 2024, and some other countries are slowly joining the European Union on the issue. Apple itself has confirmed that it plans to abide by this decision. So we know that sooner or later it will switch to USB-C. But it doesn’t seem like much for Apple to delay this transition, and Kuo stands out as a reliable source for leaks.
Data transfer rates, which vary between models, seem to be a bigger question mark. But it might make sense as another way to distinguish high-end iPhones from lower-end models, and Apple has taken a similar approach before across its various iPad lineups.