The USB-C port is already present on Apple’s MacBook and iPad, and the addition of the iPhone (and AirPods Pro) to this list, makes for an ecosystem of devices you can charge with the very same cable, and that’s awesome.
That being said, ever since we heard USB-C is coming to the iPhone 15, there have been speculations about how willing Apple is to take full advantage of the port. In the end, Apple was sort of forced to use it, so had Tim Cook & Co decided to play it passive-aggressively, I don’t suppose I would’ve been exactly shocked.
However, Apple surprised everyone by pretty much going in the exact opposite direction with the iPhone 15’s USB-C port, and especially the one in iPhone 15 Pro (which supports much faster data transfer speeds).
Brace yourself, because you’re about to be shocked in a good way (!), which isn’t often the case when it comes to major changes to the iPhone. Apple usually takes things/features away, but this time the USB-C port on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro gives the company’s new flagship phones superpowers to do so much more!
USB-C makes iPhone 15 so much better than expected: Use USB-C to turn your iPhone 15 into a gaming console; a pro-grade camera; or a studio-grade podcast/music capturing device
Credit – MaxTech on YouTube.
However, as it turns out, the iPhone 15’s new USB-C port doesn’t only free you from the Lightning cable, but it also turns your iPhone into a powerhouse of a device for both productivity and entertainment.
Before moving forward, bear in mind that iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds up to 10Gbit per second when using an optional USB 3 cable, which makes data transfer about 20x faster compared to both the iPhone 15 with USB 2 and iPhone 14 with Lightning.
Reverse wired charging via USB-C will charge your AirPods and Apple Watch even when you’re taking a walk
Credit – zollotech on YouTube.
Sure, it’s not the Reverse Wireless Charging we all wanted but I’ll take it over nothing. Moreover, wired charging is in many ways more practical than wireless when on the go. Sure, it’s a bit bizarre having to carry a cable just so you can top up your AirPods or Apple Watch but that’s far more convenient since you can just toss the iPhone and AirPods/Apple Watch in your pocket/bag and let the magic of the wired connection do its job.
Wireless charging, where AirPods would have to be placed on the back of your iPhone would make this task rather quite bizarre when on the move. You’d have to squeeze your iPhone and AirPods together to make sure they don’t disconnect.
Conveniently for this story, as I was leaving home today, I noticed my Pixel Watch was at 2% battery. I had to leave my watch at home since my iPhone 13 mini can’t charge it since it doesn’t have USB-C. The new iPhone 15 will be able to do that just fine while my watch is in my pocket/bag, so I can keep logging my steps for the day. Use the comments section to tell my boss I need the new iPhone.
The new USB-C port turns iPhone 15 Pro into a real gaming console (if you manage to keep it cool)
Credit – Vadim Yuryev on Twitter.
PC-grade games like Resident Evil 4 remake, Death Stranding, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and The Division Resurgence are coming to iPhone 15 Pro soon.
iPhone 15 can now easily replace a $1,000 video camera thanks to USB-C
Credit – techinstigator on Twitter.
Anyway, the ability to connect external storage to iPhone opens a new door for professionals or at least semi-professionals who will use iPhone to record ProRes, LOG videos. ProRes, LOG video files are so large that they will literally fill up your iPhone in minutes of recording, which is why an external SSD is a must.
The new LOG format with ProRes brings iPhone video to a whole new level, and you don’t have to take my word for it. You can YouTube ‘iPhone 15 LOG’ to see how excited professionals are about this new feature, which essentially allows them to mix in iPhone footage with footage from their pro-grade, $5,000 cameras.
For those wondering, iPhone 15 doesn’t support the same pro-grade video recording features as iPhone 15 Pro anyway, which should soften the blow from its slow data transfer speeds at least a little bit.
There are more scenarios where USB-C on iPhone will come in handy: recording podcasts and music; watching movies on your TV; Ethernet connection when Wi-Fi is bad
Credit – SemiPro Tech+Gear on YouTube.
- iPhone 15 with USB-C lets you connect an external pro-grade microphone, even through a dedicated audio interface to record directly on your iPhone; if you have no idea what an audio interface is, that’s because you don’t have a podcast (or ‘make beats’), in which case… What are you even doing with your life?!
- USB-C on iPhone 15 also allows you to connect to a TV and play your favorite movies without worrying about wonky Wi-Fi connections via AirPlay; this should come in handy at hotels and airplanes
- The USB-C iPhone 15 can even be connected directly to your router with an Ethernet adapter; is this a 100% ancient practice performed by cavemen? Yes. Are there hardcore gamers who will be super excited to plug their Ethernet cables into the iPhone 15’s new hole, because they don’t trust Wi-Fi? You bet!
Suspiciously generous Apple went all-in with the USB-C port on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro with one exception
@stephenrobles on Twitter says ’15 minutes 32 seconds. That was how long I could record 4K60 ProRes video to an external SSD, through a USB-C hub, while charging my iPhone 15 Pro Max, monitoring via HDMI out to Orion iPad app. Then this popped up. But the video saved! Here’s the info seen in Finder (178GB).’
While this won’t be a dealbreaker for most people, the difference in charging speeds could be quite jarring if you’re switching from an Android phone with fast charging. I suppose the silver lining is that the iPhone 15 series continues having great battery life across the board. In fact, the iPhone 15 Plus just became the longest-lasting mainstream flagship phone we’ve ever tested.
All that being said, fast-charging is on the very top of my wish list for next year’s iPhone 16 series. Apple has no excuses anymore. Well… unless the iPhone 16 gets as hot as the iPhone 15.
I’m not expecting Quentin Tarantino to make his last movie using an iPhone 15 Pro with an external SSD, and microphone. But maybe you can make your first short film?