Apple unveiled its new iPhone 16 series, Apple Watch Series 10, new Titanium Black Apple Watch Ultra 2, AirPods 4 models, and updated AirPods Pro Max. It was a star-studded event where we saw significant upgrades across all products. The new iPhone 16 arrives in style with some huge upgrades across the entire lineup. This includes new A18 & A18 Pro chipsets, an improved 48MP Fusion Camera, a brand-new Camera Control feature, and much more. While the upgrades seem fantastic, there’s one thing that’s bothering me, and that is the USB-C port on the iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus with the ridiculously outdated USB 2 speeds.
Disappointing USB 2 Speeds on iPhone 16
Yes, you’ve heard it right. Apple did not improve the connectivity speeds with the USB-C port on the iPhone 16 models. With the iPhone 15 series launched last year, Apple finally moved on from the Lightning connector which they have been using since 2012. Well, Apple didn’t ditch its Lightning connector happily. Rather it was forced to embrace the USB-C standard to comply with the EU’s DMA. Apple has been slow in adopting the USB-C standard. It first introduced the USB-C port on MacBooks and iPad Pros and then moved it to iPhones in 2023.
However, the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 wasn’t a complete transition, as it was only capable of USB 2.0 speeds, which is the same as the 23-year-old iPad circa. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro models support USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfer speeds up to 10GB/s. I was expecting Apple to offer the USB 3 transfer speeds across its entire lineup with the iPhone 16, and it made complete sense given the upgrades we’ve got.
Unfortunately, Apple isn’t ready to give up on this, just like its 60Hz refresh rate obsession. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus still have the same USB 2 transfer speeds of up to 480Mb/s, which is the same transfer speed that the Lightning port (RIP) supports. That means Apple is essentially using the same port, but calling it a different name so it appears modern and ‘complies’ with EU regulations.
New A18 Chipset But No Improvements in Connectivity Speeds
After using the last-gen iPhone Pro’s SoC in the new vanilla models for two consecutive years, Apple has finally introduced the iPhone 16 with a brand-new A18 chipset this year. That said, Apple still didn’t realize the need to fit in an upgraded USB controller. Maybe it is because Apple is busy hyping its Apple Intelligence features, which are partially available at the moment. I feel the iPhone 16 USB 2.0 spec is purely a cost-cutting or space-saving move. Whatever be the excuse, it’s frustrating and disappointing to see that the iPhone 16 is still using an outdated port, limiting data transfer speeds to 480 Mb/s— the same rate devices achieved back in 2000. Just imagine!
By now, a lot of Apple products have taken the high-speed USB route, including the AirPods models. The AirPods Pro 2 already have already ditched the Lightning connector. At the iPhone 16 launch event, Apple launched two AirPods 4 models with USB-C connectors and upgraded AirPods Max with USB-C. Also, all the recent models of the iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Mini are getting USB-C connectors. Only the standard iPad is USB 2.0 speed (480 Mbps) because of the older chipset. The iPad Mini supports USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) and the iPad Air has USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps). The iPad Pro dominates Apple’s tablet lineup with USB 4 (40Gbps).
For iPhones, it seems Apple needs another year to move from the embarrassing USB 2 speeds. No matter how often we move data to our phones via USB, a 20-year-old connector doesn’t make any sense on the latest $800 iPhone. Even the cheapest Android phones will do USB 3 speeds. If Apple had moved to USB 3 spec on the iPhone 16, it would get even more love.
What do think about the new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus? Did you like the new AI iPhones? tell us in the comments below!
