Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro with USB-C to offer major boost in data transfer speeds

The switch from Lightning to USB-C is likely to be one of the most important changes to the iPhone 15 lineup next year. Along with that change, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is now saying that this will cause the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to have much faster wired transfer speeds.

First, Kuo says that his latest surveys of the supply chain show that Apple's plans to switch to USB-C are going as expected. Even though all of the iPhones, including the iPhone 15, the iPhone Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, will switch to USB-C, only the two most expensive ones will get faster transfer speeds.

Kuo says that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have the same transfer speeds with USB 2.0 as they do with Lightning. This means that the maximum speed of data transfer will be 480 Mbps. This is part of Apple's plan to make the iPhone lineup even more split between Pro and non-Pro models.

So, Kuo says that the data transfer speeds of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (or Ultra?) will be "at least USB-C 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3." USB-C 3.2 could increase the speed of data transfer to as much as 20 Gbps, while Thunderbolt 3 could increase it to 40 Gbps.

Here’s Kuo’s full report:

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.

This spec upgrade and the new trend will drive Apple ecosystem’s demand for high-speed transfer chips and competitors’ imitation (almost all Android phones currently only support USB 2.0), and it’s also conducive to the growth of the high-speed transfer IC design industry.