5 issues you may plug into your iPhone 17’s USB-C port (that are not chargers)

Looking back, it is wonderful how tooth-and-nail Apple was in its struggle to hold on to the Lightning port. The corporate waited till 2023 to change iPhones over to USB-C, regardless of the actual fact the know-how first debuted in 2014, and Android telephones started adopting it in 2015. The one factor that compelled Apple’s hand was a European Union regulation standardizing USB-C on gadgets like smartphones. In any other case, there’s an actual likelihood we might’ve been caught with proprietary cables once more for the iPhone 17.

Since Apple has lastly embraced the trade commonplace, that is additionally opened up the variety of equipment iPhones will work with. The iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max — in addition to the iPhone Air — can do a shocking quantity of issues by way of USB-C. You may solely get essentially the most out of the know-how with a Professional or Professional Max, for causes that’ll develop into clear in a second.

SSDs and card readers

Thoughts the efficiency hole

Because of each USB-C and modifications to iOS through the years, nearly any exterior SSD or card reader may be related to an iPhone. You may’t set up apps to an exterior supply, or make one the default location for saved recordsdata (with one notable exception beneath) — however it may be a helpful approach of importing and exporting content material, say should you’ve been capturing pictures on a professional digital camera however need to rapidly edit and add a few of them for social media. You may import pictures and movies instantly into the Photographs app. For many different content material, you may be transferring issues out and in of Information.

There are a selection of different catches concerned. Some SSDs require their very own energy provides, which means you may want to attach them by way of a powered USB hub if they do not have a twine of their very own. And whereas storage may be formatted in APFS, HFS+, exFAT, FAT32, or FAT, playing cards and drives can solely have a single knowledge partition.

The most important challenge is pace. The bottom iPhone 17 and the iPhone Air are restricted to USB 2.0 bandwidth, which peaks at 480Mbps. That is superb for small transfers — however you will not max out the pace of an SSD, and huge video transfers might take some time. At 480Mbps, it could take about 14 minutes to repeat 50GB of 4K video, whereas the 10Gbps ports on the 17 Professional and Professional Max might deal with the identical course of in 40 seconds.

That is why you want a Professional to shoot 4K ProRes video on to exterior storage. And exterior storage is crucial at that high quality, since even a 1TB iPhone would possibly refill quickly.

Wired keyboards

A final-ditch productiveness choice

Credit score: Clicks / Pocket-lint

Realistically, you will not get almost as a lot out of connecting a keyboard to an iPhone as you’ll to an iPad. Most iPhone apps aren’t very advanced, and even those which can be do not have a lot room to work with. However should you completely have to get one thing completed and your iPhone’s onscreen keyboard is not slicing it, a USB mannequin will dramatically pace up your typing. I do know I would not even try to write down an article in Google Docs if I could not plug in a desktop keyboard.An organization known as Clicks sells devoted keyboard circumstances. I am not selling the product, however I do know some persons are nonetheless hellbent on recreating the BlackBerry expertise. If nothing else, the case ensures that you’re going to at all times see an app’s fullscreen interface, as an alternative of getting it obscured by a pop-up software program keyboard.

Screens and TVs

Who wants an Apple TV?

When you should put one thing on a much bigger display, iPhones can mirror their content material to a monitor or TV. You may join on to some screens by means of a USB 3.1 or Thunderbolt 4/5 cable, and an extra subset will even cost your iPhone when you’re plugged in. For TVs, in addition to screens that do not help DisplayPortover USB-C, you may want some type of USB-C to HDMI adapter.The key phrase right here is mirroring. In contrast to a Mac or iPad, you may’t lengthen an iPhone’s homescreen, so it isn’t like you’ll arrange a transportable workstation. At finest you’ll exploit the “second-screen” choices in some apps, reminiscent of video gamers. Apps that do not help second-screen tech will proceed to reflect all of iOS, so you could need to activate Do Not Disturb should you’re sitting down to observe Jurassic Park.Talking of films, you may output 4K HDR video as much as a 60Hz refresh rate. That features help for Dolby Imaginative and prescient. Observe that any HDMI adapter you utilize might want to help HDMI 2.0 or later.

Microphones and headphones

Most constancy

A outstanding phenomenon to me is that numerous reporters do not trouble utilizing separate microphones, cameras, or recording techniques anymore. As a substitute, they will function primarily from their telephone, connecting equipment as obligatory. I’ve seen some journalists shove a naked system in entrance of somebody to get commentary. Naturally, USB microphones can be utilized not only for journalism, however to take calls, or report music and podcasts. The standard of your mic goes to matter rather a lot right here, nonetheless — if you wish to sound skilled, do not use the most affordable mannequin yow will discover on Amazon.USB-C headphones aren’t particularly widespread today, however there’s at the very least one cause to make use of them: lossless. Bluetooth merely would not have the bandwidth to deal with the very best high quality of providers like Apple Music and Spotify. I discover that lossless is overrated, personally — you in all probability will not discover a distinction versus high-quality compressed audio — however for purists, USB-C is the one approach to fly.

Different gadgets that must be cost

Largely Apple equipment

I would virtually forgotten reverse USB charging was an choice, if I am trustworthy. It is no marvel, although, since Apple would not point out the know-how fairly often, and it isn’t fairly clear what gadgets will work. Formally, absolutely anything may be charged together with your iPhone as lengthy it helps USB Energy Supply (USB-PD) as much as 4.5W — however some gadgets will robotically ship energy the opposite approach as an alternative, reminiscent of a laptop computer.What you may safely assume is the flexibility to cost an Apple Watch or an AirPods case. Watch out about this — when you would possibly like the concept of topping off your equipment at any time when and wherever you want, totally charging one thing like an Apple Watch goes to take an enormous chew out of an iPhone’s battery. It is best to make use of this as an emergency backup, say should you’re in the midst of a PEV group rideand your AirPods out of the blue give out.