How fast is the iPhone 15 USB-C port?

So it finally happened; Apple announced the new iPhone 15 lineup during its Wonderlust event, and just like all the rumors predicted, we finally have a USB-C port on the iPhone.

That’s right. For the first time ever, Apple ditched the Lightning port on the iPhone and introduced USB-C connectivity.

This new port is available across all iPhone 15 models, albeit it doesn’t work the same way on every one.

That’s because the iPhone 15 Pro models are the only ones that support the faster USB 3 standard. But what does all this technical stuff really mean? You’re about to find out.

How Fast Is the USB-C Port on the iPhone 15?

To put it plainly, the rumors weren’t all that accurate with the new USB-C port. Yes, we have a new port, but it might not be as fast as we expected.

For starters, only the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max support USB 3, specifically USB 3.1 Gen 2, which is also used in Apple’s iPad Air. According to Apple, that should be up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0.

In terms of actual speed, the iPhone 15 Pro models will be able to transfer files at 10 Gbps, which is actually pretty fast but not the 40 Gbps speeds possible with the Thunderbolt/USB4 ports found on the iPad Pro. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t talk about Thunderbolt support for the iPhone, which means you’ll be stuck with slower transfer times of USB 3.

Not only that, but you’ll also need to get your own USB 3 cable since only a standard USB 2.0 cable comes in the box. Unfortunately, that means you’ll need to buy a better cable separately if you want the fastest transfer speeds.

As for the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, it seems they’ll be stuck with the same old USB 2.0 speeds that have been the norm since the Lightning port was first introduced. USB 2.0 offers speeds up to 480 Mbps, which doesn’t sound bad until you realize it’s pretty much the same speed you can find on the iPhone 14 and every other model back to the 2012 iPhone 5.

Essentially, you’re stuck with a Lightning cable in the shape of a USB-C cable. It’s definitely not impressive, but given that these aren’t the Pro models, it’s kind of understandable.

Will You Buy the iPhone 15?

Besides the new USB-C port, the new iPhone 15 models bring a lot more to the table, including more powerful 48 MP cameras, better performance, and the A17 Pro chip for the Pro models. Even if transfer speeds won’t be as fast as rumored, you’ll still enjoy your new iPhone.

The pre-orders for the iPhone 15 models start on September 15, and sales in stores begin on September 22.