Apple began transitioning to USB-C instead of Lightning with the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup, and USB-C is also used for charging for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple did not improve connectivity speeds with the USB-C port in any of the new models, maintaining the status quo.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus continue to have USB 2 transfer speeds of up to 480Mb/s, while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max feature USB 3 transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s. 480Mb/s is the same transfer speed that the Lightning port supported.
During today's event, Apple mentioned faster USB 3 speeds when discussing the A18 Pro, which implied that it would be faster than the A17 Pro. It looks like Apple instead was comparing the A18 Pro to the A18 in that instance, ultimately highlighting a feature that was already present in the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Despite the confusing wording, technical specifications for the new iPhone 16 models suggest Apple has not made changes to any USB-C transfer speeds. Note that taking advantage of the 10Gb/s transfer speeds in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max requires an appropriate 10Gb/s USB-C cable.
Apple's iPad Pro models, which also have a USB-C port, support Thunderbolt transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s.
