Apple’s iPhone 15 is still a long way away from launching, but one feature that has been widely rumored is its move to USB-C ports from the familiar Lightning connector. This is the rumor of the analyst Ming Chi Kuo (Opens in a new tab) Just added a fun new detail.
Kuo claims we’ll see USB-C on all four expected iPhone 15 models, which we’ve heard before. This move may have been inevitable given legislative pressure in the European Union, the United States and other countries to adopt a common port for mobile devices. However, what Kuo adds is that there may be a gap in speed between ports of different models.
(5/7) My latest poll says all new 2H23 iPhones will ditch Lightning and change to USB-C, but only two high-end models (15 Pro and 15 Pro Max) will support high-speed wired transfer, and they’re still the standard devices ( 15 and 15 15 Plus) support USB 2.0 as Lightning.November 17, 2022
As Kuo tells us, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (maybe called the iPhone 15 Ultra instead) will have USB-C ports capable of high-speed data transfer, likely using the USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3 standard. Faster offloading of photos and other files, or allowing the phone to be used with an external display or other accessory, similar to what you can do with the best iPads, all of which now use USB-C.
However, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will still run at the same USB 2.0 speeds as current Lightning-powered iPhones, according to Kuo. So while you’ll be able to power these models with the familiar pill-shaped connector, you won’t be able to transfer files faster than any other iPhone from the past 10 years.
As a result of this speed discrepancy, it seems that the current gap between Pro and non-Pro iPhones will only get wider. The iPhone 14 series is actually different from the iPhone 14 Pro, as it uses a different display, different cameras, a different chipset, and a notch instead of the Dynamic Island. A slower USB-C port might make this list longer.
The list of iPhone 15 rumors is really long. We’ve heard the Pro model may lack the main viewfinder upgrades, but also get a periscope telephoto camera for increased zoom. There have also been suggestions that the A16 chipset could be present in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, while only the Pro models will get a new, more powerful chip. Some have even claimed that there could be a portless iPhone 15 as well, one with solid-state buttons instead of the normal volume and power keys, but that seems less likely given the weight of USB-C rumors.
Whatever we end up getting, we likely won’t find out until next fall, Apple’s well-established release window for its new premium iPhones. But we’ll be watching for more rumors in the meantime.
