What Apple’s Switch to USB-C Really Means for IPhone Users

It’s official: the iPhone 15 will ditch Apple’s signature Lightning port and instead have a USB-C port. Apple confirmed the change during its Wonderlust event on Tuesday, unveiling the iPhone 15 lineup as well as two new Apple Watch models : Series 9 and Ultra 2. The change comes in response to a recent European regulation that requires all phones and tablets to use a universal USB-C charging port by fall 2024.

This change is big for Apple users, affecting everything from the iPhone 15’s charging features and how it interacts with other Apple devices to whether the new iPhones will support existing accessories.

How USB-C affects the iPhone 15

There are many potential benefits that the iPhone 15’s USB-C port could bring to iPhone users, but for now we can point to a few specific upgrades based on the announcements Apple made at the event.

The most immediate upgrade is making it easier to charge and transfer data via a wired connection. iPhone 15 will ship with a USB-C to USB-C cable that connects to any existing iPhone charger or to any Mac, Windows PC, or other device with a USB-C port. You can even use your iPhone 15’s battery to charge your Apple Watch or AirPods case via USB-C.

And since the latest USB-C cables offer faster data transfer and charging speeds than Lightning, iPhone 15 Pro models will support USB speeds of up to 10 Gbps, which is significantly faster than the iPhone 14’s meager 480 Mbps. Unfortunately, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus use the same USB 2.0 standard as Lightning, so they’ll get the same 480Mbps speeds even over USB-C. If you’re concerned about faster speeds, you’ll want to opt for the more expensive Pro iPhone this year.

But this means you also need a cable that supports these speeds. Be careful: if you buy that USB-C cable from Apple, for example, it only supports USB 2.0 speeds—great for the iPhone 15, but not the more powerful 15 Pro. Instead, you’ll need something like a Thunderbolt 4 cable , which will take full advantage of the Pro iPhone’s speed.

Another advantage briefly mentioned during Apple’s presentation is how USB-C can carry video and audio in addition to data and power. You’ll be able to connect your iPhone 15 to an external display using USB-C to HDMI or Display Port. Whether this will work with any USB-C display out of the box is unclear, but the functionality is there. You can also record video directly to an external source, so you don’t have to worry about running out of space on your iPhone’s internal storage while you’re shooting.

What about accessories for my iPhone?

Many Apple products have had USB-C ports for years, but the iPhone—and therefore iPhone accessories—stuck with Lightning until the very end. To accommodate this change, a new line of USB-C iPhone accessories is launching with iPhone 15, including a new USB-C version of Apple’s wired headphones.

However, this also means that there are a number of iPhone accessories that cannot be connected to the iPhone 15 out of the box. Luckily, switching to USB-C doesn’t make your old Lightning cables, headphones, and other accessories obsolete. These devices can still work with the iPhone 15… if you buy the required $30 Lightning to USB-C adapter from Apple . I think it’s cheaper than replacing all the Lightning accessories, but $30 for a tiny key is steep. (iPhone 15 also uses Apple MagSafe technology, so your existing MagSafe accessories and wireless chargers will work with iPhone 15, no adapters required.)

Does this mean I can use third party USB-C cables and accessories on iPhone 15?

This is one of the biggest unanswered questions at Apple’s September 12 event.

At this time, it looks like Apple will allow you to use third-party cables at their full power and specifications. The fine print in the iPhone 15 Pro ad states that to achieve 10Gbps speeds, you’ll need a USB 3 cable, not an Apple-branded USB 3 cable. If so, you can save a lot of money by choosing a cable like this from Amazon instead of one of Apple’s expensive accessories.

However, there are rumors that Apple may implement a “Made for iPhone” program for USB-C cables and peripherals, in which manufacturers will have to pay and submit their devices for testing to receive Apple’s approval, while USB accessories -C not approved by Apple may not work properly with the iPhone 15. The EU has responded to these rumors by warning Apple that it could ban iPhone sales in Europe if the company imposes such restrictions, but we won’t know for sure whether Apple complied with this request , until people can test a third-party cable. performance on new iPhones.