The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models have been updated with a rear-facing primary camera that can take 48MP ProRAW photos, preserving richer picture detail and allowing more flexibility in post-editing image files. According to Apple’s official updated support documentation, 48-megapixel ProRAW photos are approximately 75MB in size and may be larger in some complex scenarios.
Despite the very large image size, foreign tech media MacRumors has confirmed that the Lightning connector on both iPhone 14 Pro models is still limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, as with previous models, meaning that transferring full resolution 48-megapixel ProRAW photos to a Mac or other device that supports Lightning cables will take a long time.
Apple recommends using iCloud Photos to access ProRAW files at full resolution on a Mac or other Apple device or using AirDrop to transfer photos from an iPhone wirelessly, but the Lightning connector is sure to remain a bottleneck.
Back in 2015, the original iPad Pro’s Lightning connector supported USB 3.0, which was capable of speeds of up to 5 Gbps according to the specs at the time, but Apple apparently chose not to move in that direction for the iPhone. Fortunately, there are rumors that all iPhone 15 models will come with a USB-C port instead of Lightning, which will result in speeds of up to 10 Gbps or even up to 40 Gbps, and support for Thunderbolt 3.
