It is expected that this year’s entire iPhone 15 range would make the switch to USB-C from Apple’s proprietary Lightning port. However, there was speculation that Apple may still limit the speed and compatibility of the new connector. A new finding suggests a different take, where the iPhone manufacturer could still utilize even a higher standard of Thunderbolt.
Images of the alleged USB-C connectors for the next-generation iPhone have been recently spotted which appear as typical components to the untrained eye. Upon closer inspection by Charger Lab, they discovered that these connectors feature a retimer chip that is normally paired with USB ports which support the Thunderbolt standard to optimize passing signals.
The finding does indicate that Apple could likely incorporate the Thunderbolt standard with the iPhone 15’s USB-C port and should offer high-speed data transfer and compatibility with faster charging speeds compared to non-Thunderbolt USB-C ports. After all, it would not be surprising given Apple is part of the consortium that developed said technology.
However, the source also believes that the Thunderbolt standard may end up as an exclusive feature on the more expensive iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, skipping the vanilla iPhone 15 (Plus) model. It is also possible that Apple may still enable MFi (Made For iPhone) compatibility which only allows official and third-party accessories when connecting to the iPhone 15’s USB-C port.
Thunderbolt differs in technical specifications from USB-C because it has a higher data transfer rate of up to 40 Gbps. Additionally, the specifications allow for more applications, such as connecting an iPhone with multiple 4K monitors via a wired HDMI connection. It remains unclear whether the charging speed will receive an upgrade as well.
Apple did not reveal when will the official iPhone 15 launch date be, but Apple leaker and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman tipped that it could happen on September 12 while availability should follow a week or two after the announcement.
Do you think having a faster USB data transfer speed on the iPhone 15 is useful and necessary? Share your opinion with us in the comments.
