The iPhone 18 Pro’s USB-C port supports USB 3 at up to 10 Gb/s, according to Apple’s tech specs. The same figure applies to both the 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro and the 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max, and it is the connection Apple’s specs rely on for ProRes 4K120 external recording and for fast wired charging.
Apple’s press release did not mention the port at all, so this is the first confirmation of the data rate. Our iPhone 18 Pro launch coverage lists everything the release did include.
What the iPhone 18 Pro USB-C port does
| Function | Apple’s tech spec | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Data transfer | USB 3, up to 10 Gb/s | Same on Pro and Pro Max |
| ProRes 4K at 120 fps | External recording | Written to a connected drive over USB-C |
| Wired charging | Up to 50 percent in about 15 minutes | With a 60W USB-C adapter, sold separately |
| Included cable | 1 m USB-C cable | Data rate not published by Apple |
| Power adapter | Not included | Apple’s tech specs list only iPhone and cable in the box |
The 10 Gb/s figure is the ceiling for a USB 3 connection on this phone. Apple’s tech specs do not list a Thunderbolt or USB4 mode, so 10 Gb/s is the most you will get from the port.
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What moves faster at 10 Gb/s
Big files are where the rate matters. Apple’s tech specs put 48MP stills on all three rear cameras and 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 120 fps on the same phone, with storage up to 2TB, so a full phone holds a lot of data.
At 10 Gb/s the theoretical peak is 1.25 gigabytes per second. On paper that means a 2TB iPhone could be emptied in roughly 27 minutes at full speed; real transfers will be slower, and Apple has not published sustained transfer figures for the iPhone 18 Pro.
- Offloading 48MP stills and 4K120 Dolby Vision clips to a Mac
- Recording ProRes 4K at 120 fps directly to an external drive
- Backing up a 1TB or 2TB phone over a cable rather than Wi-Fi
- Wired connections to displays and accessories that use USB 3 bandwidth
Wi-Fi 7 with 2×2 MIMO is also on the spec sheet, so wireless transfer is an option, but Apple has not published Wi-Fi throughput figures either.
ProRes 4K120 and external recording
Apple’s tech specs list ProRes up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording, meaning that mode writes to a connected drive rather than internal storage. That makes USB 3 at 10 Gb/s a working requirement rather than a convenience for anyone shooting at that setting.
Apple has not published which ProRes resolutions and frame rates can be recorded to internal storage on the iPhone 18 Pro, or the minimum drive speed it needs for 4K120. We will test both once review units arrive.
Which cable you need
Apple’s tech specs list a 1 m USB-C cable in the box and do not state its data rate. Apple also has not published a cable requirement for reaching 10 Gb/s, so we cannot confirm whether the included cable hits that speed or whether a separate USB 3 cable is required.
Until Apple says otherwise, the safe assumption for full-speed transfers and external ProRes recording is a cable and drive rated for USB 3 at 10 Gb/s or better. For charging, the cable question is separate: Apple’s tech specs cite a 60W USB-C adapter for the 15-minute fast charge, which we cover in our iPhone 18 Pro battery and charging explainer.
Apple has not published USB-C figures for the iPhone 17 Pro on the new specs page, so we are not making a year-on-year comparison. The phones ship Friday, September 18, with pre-orders from Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT.
