iPhone 15 Said to Come With USB-C Cable in the Retail Box With Limited USB 2.0 Speeds

If true, it means iPhone 15 devices will have the same data transfer speeds as the currently available Lightning cable.

Highlights
  • The bundled USB-C cable is said to be 1.6 meters long.
  • Apple could restrict faster data transfer speeds to iPhone 15 Pro models.
  • USB 2.0 means the iPhone 15 will have data transfer speed capped at 480Mbps.

There have been plenty of iPhone 15 series rumours but USB Type-C port is the one that has caught everyone’s attention. Apple is finally said to be ready to make the heavily requested change which is to replace its proprietary Lightning jack with the universal USB Type-C port. While this is undoubtedly good news, there is also disappointing news associated with the change. It is that the change of port will not result in a change in data transfer speeds for all the models.

iPhone 15 USB-C Cable to Have Same Data Transfer Speed as Lightning Cable

Majin Bu, an Apple researcher, has shared important details about the iPhone’s USB Type-C cable on X. The main highlight of his post is that Apple is said to restrict the iPhone 15 USB Type-C cable to USB 2.0 capabilities. It means users will not see a change in data transfer speeds despite having a USB Type-C port on their iPhones.

USB 2.0 can offer data transfer speeds up to 480Mbps. Apple’s decision to go with this standard would result in iPhone 15 users receiving the same data transfer speed as Lightning cables. This is disappointing news for fans hoping to see faster file transfers on the next-gen models, especially after the recent rumours of Thunderbolt support.

The support would have resulted in 40 times faster data transfer speeds on an iPhone than a Lightning port. Thunderbolt is capable of delivering 40Gbps speed which is significantly faster. It is quite possible that we may see Thunderbolt only on more expensive iPhone 15 Pro models. We have seen Apple differentiate between Pro and non-Pro models by reserving superior features for the Pro lineup. Another possibility is that Apple may limit bundled USB-C cables to USB 2.0 speeds but offer Thunderbolt cables separately.

Researcher Bu further revealed the iPhone 15 USB-C cable will be 1.6 meters long in length. This is longer than the 1-meter Lightning cable that comes bundled with current-gen iPhone models. The new cable is said to be thicker and more resistant and will have no MFi restrictions.

While we are unsure about the data transfer speeds on iPhone, recent rumours have claimed the iPhone 15 could get faster charging speeds. At least some of the models in the upcoming iPhone series are said to support up to 35W wired charging speed. It is much faster than 20W charging speed on non-Pro iPhone models and relatively faster than 27W on the Pro models.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 15 series in September but iPhone 15 Pro models could see about a month’s delay in launch. The company is said to have begun iPhone 15 production at Foxconn’s factory in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. It could be the first time we may see Make in India iPhones hitting stores soon after the official launch.