Apple is reportedly preparing to add a USB-C port to the iPhone 15 models after European Union passed a standard charging port law earlier this year. Popular Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now claims that iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will have higher USB-C speeds compared to the standard models. 

According to Kuo, Apple has started to lay the groundwork for switching from Lightning to USB-C on iPhone 15. He says that the plans to switch to USB-C are moving ahead as expected, based on his latest supply chain surveys. 

While the whole iPhone 15 lineup will feature USB-C for charging and data transfer, only Pro models will have higher speeds. According to Kuo, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will retain the same USB 2.0 transfer speeds as Lightning. On the other hand, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature “at least USB-C 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3” data transfer speeds. 

This means that the data transfer speeds for iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be capped at 480Mbps. On the other hand, iPhone 15 Pro models could support up to USB-C 40 Gbps data transfer speed, thanks to USB-C 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3. 

My latest survey indicates all 2H23 new iPhones will abandon Lightning and change to USB-C, but only two high-end models (15 Pro & 15 Pro Max) will support the wired high-speed transfer, and the two standard ones (15 & 15 15 Plus) still support USB 2.0 same as Lightning.

I predict that 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max will support at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3. This spec upgrade means the wired transfer and video output user experience will significantly improve.

If the report is to be believed, there will be a major difference in the data transfer speeds between Pro and non-Pro ‌iPhone 15‌ models. Nonetheless, adding a USB-C port to the iPhone will improve the user experience, even if the non-Pro models have lower speeds.

Source: Twitter