William Gallagher
The iPhone 15 Pro got the unexpected bonus of allowing direct recording to an external drive — but at the same time, the regular iPhone 15 isn't getting any speed benefit from the switch to USB-C.
Apple made it sound as if moving from its Lightning charging port to a USB-C one was a great benefit, and it is, but only to buyers of the iPhone 15 Pro. For the regular iPhone 15, there's no speed benefit to the change.
There is convenience, though, as now it means the iPhone joins Apple's existing USB-C devices, such as the iPad Pro. Depending on what devices a user already has, it can mean fewer cables to carry around.
However, the real benefit to the move to USB-C comes with the iPhone 15 Pro, and it comes in one way that was expected — and one that was not.
The expected difference is that the iPhone 15 Pro has USB 3.1 speed, which means it can transfer data at up to 10 gigabits per second — about 20 times faster than the iPhone 15 or Lightning speed.
What was unexpected, and will be embraced by the iPhone filmmaking community, is that the new USB-C connector allows for direct recording of video to an external drive.
That definitely means that an iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max user who is shooting video, can do so without worrying about running out of space during a shot. The iPhone can remain set up, ready to shoot, while a second or subsequent drive is attached.
"iPhone 15 Pro will enable great workflows for photographers and filmmakers that previously weren't possible," said Greg Joswiak, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. "iPhone 15 Pro also supports recording Pro Res video directly to an external storage drive. video productions can quickly swap drives and keep iPhone as the main camera on set."
"It's recording to an external drive enables even higher quality recording options," he continued, "pushing Pro Res 4k up to 60 frames per second for the first time."
Apple suggests that the speed of this recording will be no different to that of using the iPhone's built-in storage. If that proves to be true, it could in theory mean that filmmakers have less need of the larger-capacity versions of the iPhone 15 Pro.
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17 Comments
Well, shoot. This changes things. I was dead set on the 15 in Blue, but now I'm wondering if it might be better to go Pro again this year. One of the biggest drawbacks to my 12 Pro Max was trying to use it for YouTube and Instagram videos, and suffering through the insanely slow transfer speeds and constant transfer failures. Glad I checked AI first...you've given me some food for thought.
I was hoping for external drive support for shooting. Somehow I had a feeling we were going to get it. I wonder what else we will be able to use it for? Apple never has the time to tell us everything. But for Pro Rez video, this is a big thing.
I am wondering… with this external 4K video recording capability (much larger files being possible), the extended 120mm focal length of the 15 Pro Max, and the overall potential high quality due to the HP within… can this iPhone capture extended length 4K60fps videos at a distance in extreme high quality for sporting events?
$2000-3000+ Sony or Canon mirrorless cameras and accompanying lenses have been the preferred method for those of us with decent but not unlimited budgets, but video
length and camera shutdowns due to overheating have been problematic for many.
Not sure what the actual cost to Apple would have been to include the higher speed USB C chip in the 15 but this isn't in any way surprising; they need to have some features on the pro model to differentiate it and for those who need the capability it's likely worth the extra cost.