iPhone 15 and USB-C – why it’s more important than you think
The iPhone has been rumored to be moving to USB-C for so long that you could be forgiven if you’ve long since shrugged off that claim. But make no mistake—Apple has confirmed that it will be moving to USB-C for the iPhone, ditching the proprietary Lightning port in favor of USB-C. And that move will happen sooner than you think.
Many people over the past few years have responded to the endless claims of an impending switch from Lightning to USB-C with a dismissive „Yeah, sure,“ so we know how tempting it is to dismiss the rumor. Okay, okay—Apple accepts a USB-C port, you might be thinking. But is this move really that important?
In a word, yes. Yes, it’s actually a big deal. And since the move could happen with the launch of the iPhone 15 next fall, it’s time to dive into why the infamous USB-C port is such an important addition to Apple’s phones.
iPhone and USB-C: What we know so far
We know Apple plans to switch to USB-C because the company said so. During the Wall Street Journal Tech Live Event in October, Apple senior vice president Greg Joswak confirmed that Lightning will eventually give way to a USB-C port on the company’s phones.
However, Apple is not making this move voluntarily. This is due to legislation passed by the European Union requiring a common charging port for electronic devices.
This EU law won’t go into effect until December 2024, which leaves some question marks as to when Apple might start using USB-C in its smartphones. Since new iPhones are typically released in the fall, it’s widely expected that next year’s iPhone 15 launch will be when Apple makes the move. Launching USB-C phones in 2023 will allow Apple to bring its products to market before the EU deadline.
Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is among those predicting USB-C for the iPhone 15 line, with the connection standard appearing in all new Apple smartphone models.
„My latest research shows that all new iPhones in 2023 will ditch Lightning and switch to USB-C, but only two high-end models (15 Pro & 15 Pro Max/Ultra) will support wired high-speed transfer, and the two standard (15 & 15 Plus) still support USB 2.0, same speed as Lightning,” the analyst wrote on Twitter.“
The iPhone 15 won’t be Apple’s first product with USB-C instead of Lightning. Every current iPad model, including the 10th generation iPad released this year, has a USB-C charging port. Of the iPads still sold in the Apple Store, only the 9th generation iPad has a Lightning port.
iPhone and USB-C: Why is it so important?
There’s a reason some people are excited about the prospect of USB-C coming to the iPhone, and it comes down to speed.
„USB-C handles more power and offers faster data transfer, although it can be difficult to distinguish the capabilities that a given USB-C port and cable actually provide,“ said Avi Greengart, lead analyst at Techsponential when was asked by a Tom’s Guide journalist what the switch to USB-C will mean for iPhone fans.
Charging speed is one area where a USB-C iPhone can set itself apart from current models. For some time now, Apple’s phones have maxed out at 20W of wired charging power. That’s not quite the case – Apple claims you can charge a depleted iPhone 14 Pro Max up to 50% after 30 minutes of charging.
The problem with this charging speed is that competing flagship phones can charge faster than current iPhones. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for example, supports 45W charging, and we expect the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra to offer the same speed, if not faster. The Pixel 7 Pro offers 30W charging, and while that’s not lightning fast, it’s faster than the iPhone’s maximum charging speed.
Meanwhile, OnePlus continues to set the standard for fast-charging phones, as the OnePlus 10 Pro can charge at 65W in the US. (In the UK and Europe, where electricity standards are different, the phone can charge at 8W.) Clearly, Apple needs to fill the gap, and USB-C could be the way to do it.
There’s another benefit to USB-C that Kuo touts in his claims about the iPhone 15 Pro — the connection standard can speed up data transfers. This is a feature that would be especially welcome for mobile photographers using their iPhones to shoot photos and especially high-resolution video.
It also fuels speculation that Apple could use the faster transfer speeds as another way to differentiate higher-end iPhone models, such as the rumored iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Ultra. And again, this wouldn’t be unprecedented – the iPad 2022’s USB-C port only supports 480 Mbps data transfer speeds. That’s much slower than other USB-C-equipped iPads, with the M1 and M2-powered iPad Pro models in particular delivering speeds of 40 Gbps.
iPhone and USB-C: Potential complications
Faster charging and data transfer will be welcome for future iPhones, but the move to USB-C won’t come without some costs, especially for Apple and the plethora of third-party Lightning accessories.
„Some of that cost is lost licensing revenue for Apple, although the Made for iPhone and MagSafe programs will almost certainly remain robust regardless of the connector used,“ Greengart says.
But you and I will also bear some costs. „The bigger cost is for consumers who have invested in cables, chargers and related accessories that will now be obsolete and unnecessary,“ Greengart added. „I still find hotel rooms with 30-pin iPhone connectors last used in the iPhone 4.“
When USB-C-equipped iPhones start appearing, it will mean that all the Lightning cables you’ve been collecting over the years will suddenly become useless. That’s why Apple’s objections to the upcoming EU law mandating USB-C adoption often cite e-waste concerns — and with good reason.
If you have a lot of tech in your household, you probably also have an extensive collection of USB-C cables. So this could ease the transition to the new connectivity standard for future iPhones.
„When Apple makes the transition to comply with EU legislation, it will require an adjustment period and create a lot of e-waste, but there are undeniable convenience advantages and long-term environmental benefits from standardizing on one physical connector,“ says Greengart . „At this point, people who own other digital devices have already bought a lot of USB-C accessories, so the move to USB-C will be better received by consumers than if Apple had made the move earlier.“ „
Outlook for iPhone and USB-C
Whether it’s the iPhone 15 or a later model, the arrival of USB-C in the iPhone will mark the end of one era of connectivity and the beginning of another. It may have taken us a long time to get there, and there may be additional bumps along the way, but the end result should be a much better smartphone experience.