The Lightning port has already disappeared in the new generation of iPhone 15 and 15 Pro. More and more products are adopting the standard connector, while Apple’s proprietary connector is becoming less important. Now iPhones, iPads and iPhones already have USB Type C. Although it is the same on the outside, the port inside is not the same. Not all USB Type-C devices are the same, and one of the factors that differentiate them is the maximum speed they support. So in this post we will review all the products that already have reversible USB and the maximum speeds they support.
A USB Type-C port is not the same as a Thunderbolt port. Likewise, USB2 speed is not the same as USB3 speed. Although all iPhones, iPads and Macs currently have USB-C (the external shape of the port), not all are the same. So let’s start by breaking down these terms.
What each term means
- USB Type C: The physical layer connection system. It is a standard that we can connect the devices with the same type of cable. The Lightning connector was itself a proprietary Apple connector.
- Thunderbolt: It is a standard data transmission system. This can be applied to different types of physical connections. Now that USB-C has been defined as the standard, the Thunderbolt system is connected to the physical USB-C port.
Therefore, there is a difference between USB-C and Thunderbolt at this point. Not all USB Type-C ports support Thunderbolt. Likewise, the Thunderbolt system doesn’t just apply to USB Type-C ports. Proof of this are the different Apple devices, which, depending on the model and generation, can support one of the two systems or both. .
What speeds does each port type achieve?
The differences between these connection systems are based on the maximum speed they can support. However, this speed does not only determine how quickly data can be transferred. But also the ability of these ports to connect to various peripheral devices.
If we have a Thunderbolt port, thanks to the performance they can support, they support much faster external storage, fast charging and even connecting to external monitors via a USB Type-C cable that supports these speeds.
- USB2: This is USB 2.0 speed. It is the oldest standard and the slowest compared to the successor systems. Supports transfer rates up to 480 Mbps (or 60 Mbps). These speeds are the maximum achievable speeds.
- USB3: This is the speed of USB 3.0. It is a much newer standard and therefore much faster. Achieve that 4.8 Gbps (or 600 Mbps). This speed is ten times faster than the USB2 standard.
- USB 3.1: The second generation of USB3. Supports speeds up to 10GB/per second.
- Thunderbolt 3: This is the fastest standard and supports speeds of up to 40 GB/per second of data transmission.
- Thunderbolt 4: It is the new version of Thunderbolt 3. Although the transfer speeds are maintained, we have more space to connect more accessories at the same time.
Once we’ve seen the top speeds each system achieves, we’ll see which Apple devices have USB Type C, along with the top speeds they can reach.
Apple devices have USB-C and Thunderbolt
Next, let’s look at the Apple products that have a USB Type-C port, Thunderbolt, or both:
- iPhone 15: USB Type C. USB2 speed
- iPhone 15 Plus: USB Type C. USB2 speed
- iPhone 15 Pro: USB Type C. USB3 speed
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: USB Type C. USB3 speed
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro: USB Type C. Thunderbolt4 speed
- 11-inch iPad Pro: USB Type C. Thunderbolt4 speed.
- iPad Air: USB Type C. USB 3.1 speed
- iPad 10th generation: USB Type C. USB2 speed
- iPad mini: USB type. USB 3.1 speed up to 5Gbps
- 13-inch MacBook Pro: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 3 speed
- 14-inch MacBook Pro: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 4 speed
- 16-inch MacBook Pro: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 4 speed
- 13-inch MacBook Air M2: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 3 speed
- 15-inch MacBook Air M2: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 3 speed
- 13-inch MacBook Air M1: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 3 speed
- 24-inch iMac: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 3 speed.
- iMac 24-inch top configuration: USB Type C. Two Thunderbolt 3 ports and two USB3 ports
- Mac mini: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 4 speed
- Mac Studio: USB Type C. Thunderbolt 4 Speed
