Here's How Fast USB-C Ports Are on iPads and Macs Ahead of iPhone 15
It's nearly September, meaning that new iPhones are just around the corner. All four upcoming iPhone 15 models are widely expected to be equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning, but there may be speed differences across the lineup.
In November 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max would support at least the USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3 specifications for data transfer speeds up to 20 or 40 Gbps. Kuo said the USB-C port on the lower-end iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models would remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, which is the same speed as Lightning on existing iPhones.
All current-generation iPad and Mac models already have USB-C ports with varying speeds:
| Device |
USB-C Specification |
All current Mac models |
Thunderbolt (Up to 40 Gbps) |
iPad Pro (2021 and 2022) |
Thunderbolt (Up to 40 Gbps) |
iPad Pro (2018 and 2020) |
USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Up to 10 Gbps) |
iPad Air (2022) |
USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Up to 10 Gbps) |
iPad Air (2020) |
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Up to 5 Gbps) |
iPad mini (2021) |
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Up to 5 Gbps) |
iPad (2022) |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
The rumored speeds for the iPhone 15 lineup:
| Device |
USB-C Specification |
iPhone 15 Pro Max |
USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt (Up to 20 or 40 Gbps) |
iPhone 15 Pro |
USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt (Up to 20 or 40 Gbps) |
iPhone 15 Plus |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
iPhone 15 |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
iPhones with Lightning |
USB 2.0 (Up to 480 Mbps) |
Higher speeds allow for faster data transfer over a USB-C or Thunderbolt cable, such as when exporting photos from an iPhone to a Mac.
Rumors suggest that Apple will include a new braided USB-C cable with all iPhone 15 models, but the cable might remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds. This means that customers purchasing an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max would need to purchase a higher-spec cable separately to take advantage of the faster speeds that are rumored.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 series at an event that is rumored to be planned for Tuesday, September 12. Apple has yet to officially announce the event, but invites will likely go out in the next week or two.
Popular Stories
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week.
Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
Apple has temporarily increased its iPhone trade-in values in select countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K., and China. Apple says the extra credit towards a new iPhone is available through June 18.
In the U.S., the maximum estimated trade-in values increased by only $5 to $30, with the full changes in that country outlined below.
...
Google recently made waves by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand.
Current Development Status
Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
WWDC is coming up quickly with a number of software announcements in store, but we're also looking further ahead to hardware launches like the iPhone 17 lineup and even Apple's smart glasses project.
This week also saw big news with former Apple design guru Jony Ive joining forces with OpenAI to build future AI-driven devices, while Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store for the first time...
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature.
According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
A new Apple job listing has provided more evidence that the company is working on a major overhaul of its Calendar app.
A senior software engineer position for "Calendar Experience," spotted by Macworld's Filipe Espósito, explicitly states that Apple seeks candidates to join a team that will "reimagine what a modern calendar can be across Apple's platforms." Listed on April 29, the posting ...
Sony recently came out with a new set of high-end over-ear noise canceling headphones, so we thought we'd compare them to the AirPods Max to see how Sony's 2025 headphones measure up to Apple's headphones that haven't seen a notable update since their 2020 launch.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The WH-1000XM6 headphones are the latest in Sony's WH-1000X headphone...
