You'll Need To Pay More For The Fastest iPhone 15 Pro USB-C Cable

USB-C is finally coming to the iPhone with the iPhone 15 lineup, and that's major good news. The switch from Lightning to USB-C means wider compatibility, faster data transfer rates, and even faster charging.

At its September 2023 keynote event, Apple said that the iPhone 15 Pro is getting a USB-C controller that enables USB 3 speed of up to 10 Gbps, provided you get the "optional cable" that'll make that possible. But that's the catch (it's Apple, after all, folks. There's always one). The company will not be shipping the cable with the iPhone 15 Pro. Instead, what you'll get out of the box is a USB 2.0 cable with a Type-C connector.

To put that in context, a USB 2 cable will transfer data at 480 Mbps, which is already poor performance in 2023 but further pales in comparison, considering the USB 3 cable promises up to 20x that speed.

It's currently uncertain just how much more you'll need to pay for Apple's new extra-speed cable — the company did not say. The product is not yet listed on Apple's online store, although there's already a price tag for the Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable ($69), which promises data transfer at up to 40 Gbps and charging up to 100W.

There's also a 2-meter 240W USB-C Charge Cable listed for $29 and a 60W variant of the regular 1-meter cable at $19. The company has also put up a slew of other USB-C accessories, including a USB-C to lightning dongle ($29) and a 70W USB-C power adapter ($59).

We'll keep our eyes peeled for updates on the price of the iPhone 15 Pro USB 3 cable. If it ends up being an unreasonable figure, we can take some comfort in the hope that third-party manufacturers will make compatible cables in the near future.