This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Thanks to the EU, the iPhone finally has the USB-C port we’ve been wanting for years, which surely makes using an iPhone more convenient than ever.
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.
I get it… The hype around the new USB-C port on iPhone 15 is totally justified, and I’m totally here for it. You’ll be shocked to find out but I don’t like having to carry around an extra Lightning cable.
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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.
First things first, perhaps the most used USB-C related feature on iPhone 15 will be Reverse (wired) charging, which is available on all iPhone 15 models.
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.
I’m no gamer by any means, but I’m already seeing videos of people who are utilizing the iPhone 15’s USB-C port to turn the phone into a legitimate gaming console.
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.
You can now hook up your iPhone to an external display, and a controller, which makes it just as flexible as a Nintendo Switch. As the cherry on top, Apple is now officially pushing to bring legitimate PC/console-grade titles to the iPhone 15 Pro, which means even hardcore gamers will be impressed by what the new A17 Pro chip and USB-C port can do.
Speaking of the A17 Pro chip, according to reports, this one seems to be running unexpectedly hot, so longer gaming sessions will most likely call for an external cooling fan. The good news is that there are plenty of affordable cooling fans you can buy, which actually do a good job at lowering temperatures while gaming. Some of them even work with MagSafe.
iPhone 15 can now easily replace a $1,000 video camera thanks to USB-C
Credit - techinstigator on Twitter.
The USB-C fun and productivity doesn’t end with gaming, since you can also use the USB-C port to connect an external SSD or even a micro SD card via a card reader. I must first acknowledge, I never thought I'd be able to type this sentence.
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).'
As mentioned in the beginning, while many people were expecting Apple to be Apple and significantly limit the USB-C port functionality on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro (especially given the fact that Cupertino was pretty much forced to make the switch from Lightning), we can see that this isn’t the case at all. With one important exception.
You might’ve noticed I haven’t mentioned anything about the super fast charging capabilities of the iPhone 15, which would “naturally” come with USB-C, and that’s because they simply aren’t there. In other words, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will charge just as slowly as the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, etc.
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.
All in all, the USB-C port on iPhone 15 opens up dozens of new doors and possibilities if you care to use them. Whether it’s entertainment or productivity, the iPhone is now a much more powerful tool that can do so much more than before thanks to a single port change. You might no longer need a Nintendo Switch when traveling; a pro-grade video camera for getting top-notch footage in a pinch; or even your multipart podcast recording setup if you’re on the road.
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?
Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.
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