iPhone 14 Pro's Lightning Connector Still Limited to USB 2.0 Speeds Despite Large 48MP ProRAW Photos

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models feature an upgraded rear camera system that can shoot 48-megapixel ProRAW photos, which retain more detail in the image file for more editing flexibility. 48-megapixel ProRAW photos are very large files that clock in at around 75MB each, according to Apple, and sometimes even larger.

iPhone 14 Pro Rear Camera
Despite these very large image sizes, we have confirmed that the Lightning connector on the iPhone 14 Pro models remains limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps like previous models, meaning that transferring full-resolution 48-megapixel ProRAW photos to a Mac or other device with a Lightning cable will take a long time.

Apple recommends using iCloud Photos to access ProRAW files in full resolution on a Mac or other Apple devices, or to transfer the photos off an iPhone wirelessly by using AirDrop, but the Lightning connector certainly remains a bottleneck.

Back in 2015, the original iPad Pro's Lightning connector supported USB 3.0, which was capable of up to 5 Gbps speeds based on the spec at the time, but Apple has evidently chosen not to move in this direction for the iPhone. Fortunately, rumors suggest that all iPhone 15 models will be equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning, which should result in speeds up to 10 Gbps or even up to 40 Gbps with Thunderbolt 3 support.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update. Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far. Redesigned Camera App A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19. On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
Apple MacBook Air 2 up hero 240304 feature

New MacBook Air Announcement Reportedly 'Imminent' — Here's When

Sunday March 2, 2025 5:40 am PST by
With the iPhone 16e now in the hands of customers, Apple reportedly plans to move on to its next product announcement in the coming days. Apple plans to announce new MacBook Air models with the M4 chip "as early as this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "I expect the M4 MacBook Air to be introduced as early as this week," said Gurman, in a post shared on X today. "Inventory has ...
Apple AirPort Routers

Apple's Discontinued Line of AirPort Wi-Fi Routers Could Return in an Unexpected Way

Saturday March 1, 2025 10:00 am PST by
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Apple offered a line of Wi-Fi routers that it referred to as AirPort base stations. There was a standard AirPort Express, a higher-end AirPort Extreme with more advanced networking features, and an AirPort Time Capsule that doubled as an external storage drive for backing up a Mac with Time Machine. Apple discontinued the AirPort line in 2018, but the company...
m2 ipad air fathers day

New iPads Expected Shortly After This Week's Likely M4 MacBook Air Announcement

Sunday March 2, 2025 8:26 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce new MacBook Air models with the M4 chip as soon as this week, and new iPads should follow shortly after. iPad Air and iPad 10 inventory is running low at Apple Stores, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes this is a sign that new iPads will be introduced soon. However, unlike the new MacBook Air, he said the new iPad models "probably won't come in the next few ...
cook tweet air upscale

Tim Cook Teases New Apple Product Announcement This Week: 'There's Something in the Air'

Monday March 3, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook today teased a new product announcement coming "this week." "There's something in the air," the teaser says. This teaser likely refers to a new MacBook Air with the M4 chip, which is already expected to be announced as early as this week. Apple used the same "there's something in the air" slogan before it announced the original MacBook Air in 2008. Cook shared a si...
iPhone 17 Air Fanned Feature

iPhone 17 Air's Ultra-Thin Design Will Result in These 3 Missing Features

Saturday March 1, 2025 9:20 am PST by
The thin and light design of Apple's rumored "iPhone 17 Air" will require some compromises. The device is rumored to lack three features found on many iPhone models, including a bottom speaker, an Ultra Wide camera, and a SIM card slot internationally. The Information last year reported that the ultra-thin iPhone 17 model will have only a single speaker, built into the earpiece at the top of ...

Top Rated Comments

SteveJobs2.0 Avatar
32 months ago
Lightning connector is starting to become a real limiting factor on these phones. It’s time for it to go.
Score: 110 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tRYSIS3 Avatar
32 months ago
I have an iPhone 11 Pro and have no interest upgrading until they add a USB-C port
Score: 103 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JGIGS Avatar
32 months ago
Apple is so stubborn. Make the change already!! You've had more than enough time to figure it out at this point.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vyse2020 Avatar
32 months ago
Also… simply changing to connector to USB-C won’t ensure faster data speeds, there are some USB-C devices and cables that still limit to 2.0 speeds.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
teeoh717 Avatar
32 months ago
"Just use AirDrop"
*AirDrop almost never works as advertised
?
It's long past time for USB-C, 48 megapixel RAWs or otherwise.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SSDGUY Avatar
32 months ago
Folks using the cable to transfer files would be reasonably satisfied with USB 3 speeds but Apple's gotta leave something out of the mix so people will upgrade to the 15.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)