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iPhone 15 is like a computer with all these USB-C accessories!

9:27 video

The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro have USB-C. So what? Actually, you can do quite a bit with it, more than connect an SSD for ProRes video at 60 fps.

USB-C replaces the locked-down Lightning port Apple used for ten years. You’d expect Apple to hobble it to control the experience, but it pretty much left it alone.

Fast storage on the Pro

I tried a few SSDs and found the Pro’s port isn’t limited. Apple uses the USB 3 spec, up to 10 Gb/s. With a 10 GB test file, I got about 750 MB/s write and 480 MB/s read, nearly the drive’s maximum. If you use LumaFusion and want to back up projects, or send lots of photos to an SSD, it’s way faster than before.

The regular iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are stuck at USB 2 speeds. On a 15 Plus, I had to drop to a 1 GB file, and got about 50 MB/s write and 35 MB/s read. Why Apple did that, I have no idea; there can’t be much cost savings.

ProRes video: on the 15 Pro, you can record straight to an external drive. For 60 fps you must use external storage; at 24 or 30 fps you can use either. The files appear on the SSD like a real camera’s, visible in the Files app, so you can offload them to a Mac and start editing. SD card readers work the same way.

External displays

I connected my iPhone 15 to a 5K Studio Display. It mirrors what’s on the iPhone’s screen, larger. In YouTube, rotate the iPhone after starting a video and you get a big display, not quite full screen. Apps like Hulu output the full video to the external display while you scroll elsewhere in the app. The Studio Display’s speakers work, and you control volume from the iPhone. Animations are smooth with no hiccups. A USB-C to HDMI adapter works with a 4K display too.

Instead of multiple dongles, UGREEN, a channel partner, sent me its 7-in-1 USB-C multifunction adapter: HDMI up to 4K 60, two fast USB-A ports, two SD card readers (regular and micro), a pass-through USB-C charging port, and Ethernet. Mirroring a 4K display was fast and fluid with no perceptible delay. Add an external SSD to watch video from a drive on the display, and keep charged with pass-through power and UGREEN’s Nexode RG 30 W charger.

Games

With an external display and a wireless controller, I play Call of Duty Mobile; if I’m at my day job and want to blow off steam at lunch, I can connect the iPhone in my pocket to an HDMI display. It was really good, maybe better than the iPad.

To play directly on the iPhone, you can pair an Xbox or PlayStation controller, or use the Backbone USB-C controller. Backbone’s Lightning version is what I have, but the USB-C one made for Android works perfectly with the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro. Bought directly from Backbone, it should come ready for iPhone; the one I got on Amazon needed a firmware update from an Android phone first. And if you live in a multi-OS environment, one controller works for both.

Ethernet

You don’t need Wi-Fi or cellular if you plug in an Ethernet adapter, like UGREEN’s. My Wi-Fi 6E is very fast but inconsistent, because wireless: about 800 Mb/s down on the 15 Pro, versus about 900 Mb/s on Ethernet with lower latency, great for showing teenagers who’s boss in a game. The regular 15 and 15 Plus’ USB 2 speed limits Ethernet speed, but you still get a stable connection, which can help if your Wi-Fi is bad.

Charging other devices

With a USB-C to Lightning cable, the iPhone can charge AirPods, the Apple TV remote or an Apple mouse, and charge other iPhones directly. I connected an iPhone 15 Plus (94%) to a 15 Pro Max (66%): the one with the higher percentage charges the other. Even a 15 connected to a 15 Pro Max sends power if it has more. You can also charge older iPhones like a 14 Pro Max, but only one way: a Lightning iPhone can’t charge a USB-C iPhone.

Mics, webcams, keyboards and mice

  • An external USB-C microphone works in Voice Memos, FaceTime, Zoom, the camera, or anything using audio input. I don’t have an external webcam to test.
  • A Magic Keyboard connected with a Lightning-to-USB-C cable lights up and works for text, including Command-C and Go Home, but not much else.
  • A mouse shows up in Settings as a mouse/trackpad setting, but you don’t get a pointer like on iPad.

I was surprised how many things worked and that Apple allowed USB on the iPhone for more than the bare minimum. What have you tried that I didn’t mention?

In this video

  • 0:00 SSDs and USB speeds
  • 1:55 Prores Log
  • 2:23 Studio Display and video
  • 3:12 4k display with external storage
  • 4:34 gaming with external display
  • 5:13 usb-c controller
  • 5:51 ethernet!
  • 6:54 charging other devices
  • 7:49 webcams and mics
  • 8:12 keyboards and mice

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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