The latest European Union regulations require all cellphones to use a USB Type-C cable including the iPhone. Indeed, Type-C has more advantages than the iPhone connector which is fairly old school.
USB-C is the common standard for charging and transferring data. Currently, Apple has included a single USB-C port on the 12-inch Apple MacBook, a hybrid USB-C port on the MacBook Pro, and the iMac Pro. Apple changes the connectors on all newly released computer devices, but not on iPhones and iPads. Apple currently uses its own Lightning connector instead of the industry standard USB-C port.
Here's a USB-C vs Lightning comparison.
1. Charging: 12W vs 100W
Both Lightning and USB-C are capable of delivering power at various watts. While Apple does not publicly disclose these specifications, they are available to third-party manufacturers. It is estimated that the Lightning adapter can handle up to 12W of power, as provided by the iPad charger.
USB-C is known to handle up to 100 watts, 20V/5A charging speeds with USB Power Delivery technology. This is perfect for laptops that typically require up to around 60 watts. Plus, it's bidirectional, so devices can send or receive power.
2. Reversible: One End vs Double End
The most obvious difference between the USB-C and Lightning ports is that the Lightning port is smaller, which gives Apple an advantage to build slimmer devices. Both ports are reversible, but a USB-C to USB-C cable can be plugged in via the dual end.
3. Data Transmission: 480 Mbps vs 10 Gbps
Data transmission speeds rely more on the USB standard for Lightning and USB-C. Lightning devices transfer data at USB 2.0 speeds, which is 480 Mbps while USB-C can transfer data at USB 3.0 (USB 3.1 Gen 1), 5 Gbps speeds.
In USB 3.1 2nd generation, USB-C theoretically has twice the speed of USB 3.0 which means it reaches 10 Gbps. That means, less time is used to transfer data.
4. Extensive port support
USB-C supports video signal and power flow simultaneously. This means users can connect and power DisplayPort, MHL, or HDMI devices -- almost anything else when users have the right adapters and cables.
The USB-C spec even includes audio transmission, but so far it hasn't replaced the 3.5mm headphone jack on a computer. This may change in the next few years.
5. USB Power Delivery
USB Power Delivery or USB PD is a next generation charging technology that supplies up to 100W of output. It uses a USB Type-C connector and cable to provide increased power levels to operate larger devices such as phones, tablets, and laptops.