USB C-to-C cables for iPhone 15 and 15 Plus handled: no MFi, USB 2.0 speeds
There were some concerns over how Apple will implement USB-C on the upcoming iPhone 15 series. Researcher Majin Bu reports some good news: the new cables will not use Apple’s MFi chips for verification, so third-party cables and accessories will not be restricted (with Lightning, full compatibility is available only on accessories that have been licensed by Apple). It looks like Apple will be using the standard e-markers instead.
It’s not all roses, though, Bu confirms that the regular iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will only have USB 2.0 capable ports. This means that they will be limited to 480Mbps data transfer speeds, same as the current Lightning port.
And charging will be the same too, capped at 20W. That said, Apple will be including high-quality USB C-to-C cables with the regular iPhones, 1.6m long (5.3ft), up from 1m for the Lightning cables that came with previous iPhones.
They will support Power Delivery 3.0 (up to 20V at 3A, 60W) to boot, so owners will be able to charge more powerful Apple devices like iPads and even MacBooks with these cables too (and, of course, other PD-compatible electronics).
The new USB C-to-C cables for the regular iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
As for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, these are expected to get a high-speed port – either USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) or Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps). This sort of division makes sense if you looks at Apple’s tablets. The iPad Pros use Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 (40Gbps), the iPad Air has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (10Gbps), the regular iPad 10.9 has a USB 2.0 port.
Besides higher transfer speeds, the iPhone 15 Pro duo is expected to feature faster charging speeds too – up to 35W, according to some rumors, coupled with larger batteries than last year.
