Dual-tier iPhones are becoming more prevalent in Apple’s iPhone range. This is the case for the iPhone 14 Pro variants featuring Dynamic Island- a second camera that has better optical zoom, an enhanced processor, and an upgraded display.
Seems that the gulf will continue to widen in the upcoming year, as well. Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst, predicts that the iPhone 15 line-up will differ in port speed. Despite a recently passed EU directive, all models will move toward USB-C.
Kuo says, “all new iPhones will abandon Lightning and change to USB-C, but only two high-end models will support wired high-speed transfer, and the two standard ones will still support USB 2.0 the same as Lightning.”
While all iPhone 15 models will feature USB-C ports instead of Lightning ports, faster transfer speeds will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models. Standard iPhone 15 models will continue to feature USB 2.0 speeds, the same as Lightning.
Kuo added that the iPhone 15 Pro models would likely have “markedly faster” transfer speeds, with support for “at least” USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3. Because of the upgrade, iPhone 15 Pro models will be able to transfer video files and other file types at significantly faster speeds, improving the user experience all together.
Speeds of USB 2.0 are limited to 480Mb/s, while USB 3.2 supports speeds of up to 20Gb/s. In Kuo’s estimation, there will be a noticeable difference in wired data transfer speeds between Pro and non-Pro iPhone 15 models, since Thunderbolt 3 supports speeds up to 40Gb/s.
This is a marvelous upgrade for the Pro models, which will enjoy fast charging and high-speed data transfer capabilities. It also makes sense – the Pro variants have better camera technology, making them perfect for capturing pictures and videos that are of high quality. Increasing data transfer speeds will benefit large files like these the most.
It’s still a blow to the standard iPhone 15. It was a disappointing year for sales of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus this year. During this period, the drop in iPhone sales was largely caused by the public perception that the standard models offered not much of an upgrade over the outgoing iPhone 13. The Pro model includes a host of added features and upgrades, and has proven to be a worthwhile investment in the eyes of many.
Despite the rumor that features like Dynamic Island are rumored to be included in the entire range, it is disappointing to see that an intentional limitation is being imposed on the product. If the iPhone 15 had been equipped with the same high-speed USB-C port across the board, its credentials would have been substantially boosted.
