iPhone 17 Pro What cable should I use to get USB 3.0 speeds?

[davidg4781]

I'm probably buying a 17 Pro soon. I'm looking at chargers and cables now so I can have them ready to charge my new phone.

But most of the cables I'm finding (Apple and Anker) say they charge at USB 2.0 speeds. There's one USB4 on Anker that's $30 for the 1m cable. Is this what I need to be looking for?

There was a lot of talk about the 17 and Air being 2.0 only but cables aren't really readily available. Unless I'm looking in the wrong places.

 

[mrochester]

I'm probably buying a 17 Pro soon. I'm looking at chargers and cables now so I can have them ready to charge my new phone.

But most of the cables I'm finding (Apple and Anker) say they charge at USB 2.0 speeds. There's one USB4 on Anker that's $30 for the 1m cable. Is this what I need to be looking for?

There was a lot of talk about the 17 and Air being 2.0 only but cables aren't really readily available. Unless I'm looking in the wrong places.

Are you talking about charging or transferring data? You seem to be mixing the 2 things up.

 

[d5aqoëp]

Are you talking about charging or transferring data? You seem to be mixing the 2 things up.

If you read the topic title, OP seems to be extremely clear that he wants USB 3.0 speeds (which should be USB 3.2 upto 10 Gbps which iPhone 17 Pro is capable off) Don't add unnecessary confusion.

@davidg4781 Buy a good USB 4 type C cable which is rated for 40 Gbps. Those cables sureshot support USB 3.2 10Gbps speeds. However, the driver situation on Windows is a mess and wrong old Apple driver can still limit you to USB 2.0 speeds. Also Apple really really hates you storing stuff locally as they want you to buy their most expensive iCloud storage tier but at the same time also want you to waste your money on ridiculously marked up 2TB iPhone.

Apple gets really angry if you use the overpriced 2TB storage iPhone for anything other than shooting 4K videos mindlessly. Hence the increased difficulty in finding right cable, compartmentalization of individual app storage, poor drivers not enabling 10Gbps speeds and being finnicky about limiting cables to USB 2.0 speeds for unknown reasons.

I was quite excited with launch of iPhone 15 Pro and USB 3.2 10G support but after unraveling the nightmare, I carry a type-c flash drive which is under 4.5W all the time. Not giving Apple any more money.

/storage rant

My setup: Orico Nvme Enclosure + 2TB Crucial P3 -> Both consume under 4.5W so the drive formatted as exFAT shows up under Files app and I can transfer too and from my iPhone 16 Pro Max. The cable is the default cable which I received from the enclosure.

Link to Orico Nvme Enclosure.
Link to Crucial P3

 

[mrochester]

If you read the topic title, OP seems to be extremely clear that he wants USB 3.0 speeds (which should be USB 3.2 upto 10 Gbps which iPhone 17 Pro is capable off) Don't add unnecessary confusion.

@davidg4781 Buy a good USB 4 type C cable which is rated for 40 Gbps. Those cables sureshot support USB 3.2 10Gbps speeds. However, the driver situation on Windows is a mess and wrong old Apple driver can still limit you to USB 2.0 speeds. Also Apple really really hates you storing stuff locally as they want you to buy their most expensive iCloud storage tier but at the same time also want you to waste your money on ridiculously marked up 2TB iPhone.

Apple gets really angry if you use the overpriced 2TB storage iPhone for anything other than shooting 4K videos mindlessly. Hence the increased difficulty in finding right cable, compartmentalization of individual app storage, poor drivers not enabling 10Gbps speeds and being finnicky about limiting cables to USB 2.0 speeds for unknown reasons.

I was quite excited with launch of iPhone 15 Pro and USB 3.2 10G support but after unraveling the nightmare, I carry a type-c flash drive which is under 4.5W all the time. Not giving Apple any more money.

/storage rant

My setup: Orico Nvme Enclosure + 2TB Crucial P3 -> Both consume under 4.5W so the drive formatted as exFAT shows up under Files app and I can transfer too and from my iPhone 16 Pro Max. The cable is the default cable which I received from the enclosure.

Link to Orico Nvme Enclosure.
Link to Crucial P3

What does ‘charge at usb 2.0 speeds’ mean then?

 

[d5aqoëp]

What does ‘charge at usb 2.0 speeds’ mean then?

It means it doesn't support USB PD (Power Delivery) and resorts to charging at 18W max. Now charging speeds is a different can of worms and it would still be best to get a USB 4 cable which has mentioned PD 100W compliant on it's label..

 

[mrochester]

It means it doesn't support USB PD (Power Delivery) and resorts to charging at 18W max. Now charging speeds is a different can of worms and it would still be best to get a USB 4 cable which has mentioned PD 100W compliant on it's label..

USB 2.0 and USB PD are 2 different things. One refers to data transfer speeds and the other refers to charging speeds.

E.G., iPhone 13 Pro Max has USB2.0 data transfer speeds but charges at 27watts due to also supporting USB PD.

This is why it’s important to clarify whether the OP wants a cable that can CHARGE the phone at the fastest speed possible or TRANSFER DATA at the fastest speed possible (or both) as that would result in 2 different recommendations.

 

[davidg4781]

Oops! I meant to say transfer at USB 2.0 speeds. This would be the first time I need to look for a cable that will support 3.0+ transfer speeds. I believe I do have the 2 TB iCloud option (I have plenty, I know that) but I use a transfer cable to update iOS and do a backup every few weeks.

 

[mrochester]

Oops! I meant to say transfer at USB 2.0 speeds. This would be the first time I need to look for a cable that will support 3.0+ transfer speeds. I believe I do have the 2 TB iCloud option (I have plenty, I know that) but I use a transfer cable to update iOS and do a backup every few weeks.

An Anker USB4 cable would easily do the trick then. They can be had for around £15 on Amazon (not sure what that’d be in other currencies).

Anker USB4 Gen 2 Cable, 20 Gbps Data Transfer, 4K HD Display, 3 ft Bio-Based 240W Charging USB C to USB C Cable, For iPhone 17/16 Pro/15 Pro Max/15 Plus, USB-C Laptops, Hubs, Docks, and More

æ—

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[FunkyTang]

Jimmy Fallon says Monster Cables are the best.

 

[davidg4781]

Jimmy Fallon says Monster Cables are the best.

Is that company still around? I bought one of their component cables on discount once. I didn't really tell a difference but it was less expensive than a regular one.

 

[zonai]

Is that company still around? I bought one of their component cables on discount once. I didn't really tell a difference but it was less expensive than a regular one.

People used to say digital cables are all the same, but that's not true anymore. For HDMI for example, you need 18Gbps cables for 4K, but then 48Gbps cables for 4K 120Hz, which is needed for VRR support on consoles. USB-C is a similar story, you have some cables with USB 2.0 support and 60W, other cables with up to 240W, some cables with 100W, and some with 10Gbps support. Now there's also USB4 cables with 40Gbps support.

For USB cables, I'm using an AmazonBasics one I got on sale which mostly works, I just have to check in System Information before a data transfer to make sure 10Gbps is engaged. I got a Thunderbolt cable recently I'm planning to test out.