iPhone 15 Pro renders based on its new leaked dark red finish
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will bring a party trick to the table this year: blazing-fast data speeds via their new USB-C ports. But now we not only know how fast it will be thanks to a new leak, but that it will do something no one expected.
“The port on Pro’s will be Thunderbolt 3. I know there’s a lot of speculation in our community, but it’s TB3,” reveals anonymous insider analyst941, who leaked accurate data about the Dynamic Island ahead of the iPhone 14 Pro launch last year.
Thunderbolt 3 operates at up to 40 gigabits per second (Gbps), that’s equivalent to 5,000 megabytes per second (MBps). By comparison, the Lighting port on all current iPhones is limited to USB 2.0 speeds, which is 480 megabits per second, equivalent to 0.48 Gbps / 60 MBps. It’s a stratospheric upgrade.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max render from leaked CADs showing the new USB-C port
But the real surprise is Analyst941 claims the new port will also output to monitors at up to 4K. This will apparently be special “features” in iOS 17 to take advantage of this, though the example given is, in their own words, “niche”:
For example, a new cinematography feature that will allow live 4K Thunderbolt outputs to monitors while recording. Essentially, you’ll have the phone with all the camera controls, connected to a monitor displaying live 4K camera footage without any controls; in 16:9.
Whether the new features could include outputting a game or movie to a standard monitor or TV without Apple TV or AirPlay remains to be seen, but it opens the doorway for multi-display support similar to iPad Pros, which can connect to monitors to extend their workspace.
Despite this, it is really the raw speed benefits of Thunderbolt 3 that excite most. iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max owners will potentially be able to back up and restore their phones in minutes, and enthusiasts will be able to quickly transfer the gigantic files ProRAW photography and ProRES video create. It’s a radical upgrade in iPhone capabilities.
And it’s not the only change coming. Previously leaks have revealed a more curved design, lightweight titanium chassis, periscopic zoom camera and potential price hikes. But it is the inclusion of USB-C that could ultimately have the greatest impact — even if Apple was forced to do so.
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