What are you able to hook up with the iPhone 15 with USB-C?

On the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, Apple lastly removed the Lightning port and changed it with USB-C. This opens up an entire new world of comfort of connecting equipment and peripherals. The iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max go one step additional, because the USB-C port on the professional fashions helps USB-3 speeds, enabling as much as 10 Gbps knowledge switch speeds.

USB-C makes it simple to attach shows, exterior storage, cameras, and cost utilizing the identical cable as all of your different gadgets. Right here’s what you are able to do along with your new iPhone and its shiny new port …

Why did Apple change from Lightning?

Apple was totally invested in Lightning port ecosystem on the iPhone. Nonetheless, it started adopting USB-C throughout Mac and iPad fashions since 2015 as a solution to modernize PC connectivity. USB-C is flexible, carrying energy and knowledge with the identical connector. And USB-4 / Thunderbolt presents even increased knowledge switch speeds.

On the identical time, USB-C was turning into more and more well-liked on the Android facet of the smartphone market. However Apple caught with Lightning on iPhone, partly as a result of they have been nonetheless stung from the backlash of 30-pin -> Lightning transition that occurred greater than a decade in the past.

The forcing issue for Apple was the EU fee, who’ve handed laws to scale back e-waste by imposing USB-C because the common connector for telephones. That will imply Apple would no less than must make a particular mannequin of iPhone for the European market. That brings its personal issues. As a substitute, Apple selected to only undertake USB-C throughout the board … and other than the frustration of consumers having to vary out all their current now-defunct Lightning cables, that brings numerous advantages …

Common USB-C Charging

Now that you’ve got an iPhone 15, you’re in all probability near with the ability to use the identical single cable to cost all your gadgets. Nearly all iPads have a USB-C port, and all Macs have been sporting USB-C for a decade. The most recent Macs include Apple’s MagSafe charger, however they will also be charged by plugging in to one in every of their USB-C ports too. The most recent-generation Apple TV comes with a USB-C distant, and Apple simply launched a brand new AirPods Professional with a USB-C charging case. You too can now purchase simply the USB-C case individually from the Apple Retailer.

Apple sells its personal USB-C cost cables, and the iPhone comes with a pleasant high quality woven cable within the field itself. In contrast to Lightning, USB-C will not be proprietary. To cost your Apple gear, you should utilize any USB-C charging cable or accent available on the market. That features cheaper USB-C cables, and USB-C cables of various types and lengths. Anker has a really handy twin 47 watt USB-C energy adapter, for instance.

To cost your iPhone at full velocity, you wish to use a 20-watt or 30-watt energy adapter. You possibly can safely use a better wattage energy adapter just like the one which comes along with your MacBook; the telephone will robotically handle the ability. Be taught extra about fast-charging iPhone 15 right here.

Cost different gadgets along with your iPhone 15 battery

One other cool angle of the USB-C charging story is that you may now use the iPhone to cost different equipment. The iPhone 15 can settle for as much as 27 watts by way of the USB-C port, however itself can even output about 4.5 watts. (Lightning might solely handle a measly 0.3watts.)

This implies you possibly can really use your spare iPhone battery to energy and cost related equipment. In case your AirPods are operating low, in a pinch, you possibly can plug them into your telephone and your telephone will prime up the juice in your AirPods case. You can even prime up the battery of one other individual’s iPhone — however simply remember it’ll take some time.

Simply hook up with exterior shows

With Lightning, you can solely hook up with exterior shows by way of a clunky dongle. With USB-C on iPhone 15, you possibly can output to a display screen immediately. Use a USB-C to HDMI cable and present your iPhone display screen on a 4K TV or monitor, with display screen mirroring. In case you are watching a film in a video streaming service app, the movie will robotically fill the TV dimensions with playback controls on the contact display screen. Simply showcase your photograph library or conduct a presentation with Keynote by simply plugging your telephone immediately right into a projector.

One of many use circumstances Apple is pushing is positioning iPhone as a conveyable video games console. Utilizing the ability of the A17 Professional chip inside, iPhone 15 Professional can run some top-end video games with excessive graphical constancy. Pair an Xbox or PlayStation sport controller, join your telephone to a TV, and begin gaming. The Apple USB-C Digital AV adapter is an efficient alternative for this use case, because it permits for HDMI, energy output for steady charging and passthrough USB-C in a single handy dongle.

Broaden your native storage with transportable USB-C laborious drives and SD playing cards

Join a USB-C laborious drive or SD card reader and browse recordsdata immediately utilizing the Recordsdata app on iPhone. When you go on vacation and take a devoted digicam with you, you possibly can import images immediately from the SD card into your iPhone’s photograph library. Then, empty the SD card and hold taking pictures whilst you edit and add the photographs you’ve taken in your telephone’s massive touchscreen.

The iPhone 15 Professional Digital camera app means that you can file ProRes 4K at 60 FPS video on to USB-3 storage. ProRes is uncompressed and the file sizes are enormous, consuming gigabytes per minute of recording. However pairing your iPhone with a 1 TB transportable SSD, you possibly can file for some time earlier than operating out of area. This requires a USB-3 cable (not merely cost cable) to benefit from the quick 10Gbps switch speeds attainable by way of the iPhone 15 Professional’s port.

With iOS 18, utilizing exterior storage with iPhone and iPad is even simpler. The Recordsdata app can now natively erase and re-format related drives, so that you don’t want to make sure the drive is already within the appropriate disk format, if beforehand used elsewhere.

Join {hardware} keyboards and wired web

Typically, wi-fi doesn’t minimize it — and also you simply must plug in. USB-C on iPhone helps nearly any primary accent you possibly can consider, with out the necessity for particular drivers or extra configuration. It’s all plug and play. Which means you possibly can join a {hardware} keyboard will simply work.

Or if you’re podcasting on the street, you possibly can file utilizing a mini USB-C microphone. One other chance is wired web, utilizing a USB-C to Ethernet adapter. And when you’ve got a MIDI keyboard, you can also make a tune on the go along with an app like GarageBand.

Wired headphones that work along with your telephone and pc

Since Apple dropped the headphone jack, a lot of the world has moved on to utilizing Bluetooth wi-fi headphones like AirPods. However if you happen to nonetheless choose to plug in with a wire, utilizing wired headphones with iPhone has been an inconvenient affair. Lightning earbuds labored along with your telephone, however nothing else.

Now, it’s all a lot less complicated. iPhone 15 works with any USB-C headphones, together with Apple’s new USB-C EarPods. These headphones will work with any pc with a USB-C port, so you possibly can lastly use the identical wired headphones throughout your telephone, iPad and Mac. An growing variety of high-end headphones and audio system additionally depend on USB-C connectivity today.

Join multi-port hubs

USB-C may be very versatile and permits for knowledge and energy to journey over the identical port. This implies you possibly can carry a single dongle, which is a multi-port hub comprising all types of IO. These are tremendous handy as iPad and Mac equipment, and now work with the iPhone too.

For instance, this $25 Anker 5-in-1 hub will work with the USB-3 USB-C port on iPhone 15 Professional and allow you to hook up with exterior shows, hook up with energy, plug in USB equipment and an exterior show all on the identical time.

The one factor you may have to remember is that the iPhone can output energy to the hub at 4.5 watts. iPad and Mac can provide a lot increased bus-powered wattage, so if you’re utilizing them with the iPhone, it’s possible you’ll must additionally plug in an exterior energy supply.

A few of these capabilities have been beforehand attainable with Lightning however necessitated massive, clunky, and particular function adapters for every use case. USB-C is standards-based which suggests something you purchase may even work with different gadgets too. You don’t want to hold a particular Lightning SD card reader anymore; the identical USB-C peripheral will work simply as nicely along with your iPhone, iPad, Mac and any Home windows PC or Android gadgets within the household as nicely. The common connector life is lastly right here.