10th generation iPad's USB-C port is limited to USB 2.0 speeds
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10th generation iPad's USB-C port is limited to USB 2.0 speeds
One of the biggest updates to Apple's new entry-level iPad is that it finally ditches the ancient Lightning port for a USB-C port.
However, Apple did not specify what standard of USB it supports. Now, YouTube channel Max Tech did some testing and discovered that the 10th generation iPad's USB-C port is limited to just USB 2.0 speeds.
This means speeds of up to only 480Mbps. To give that number some context, the iPad Pro models with the M1 chip supports Thunderbolt 3 which also means speeds of up to 40Gbps.
And as for the iPad Air and iPad Mini, they support USB 3.1 and speeds of up to 10Gbps and 5Gbps respectively.
Why Apple would limit the new iPad's USB-C to just USB 2.0 speeds is perplexing and it's unlikely to be a limitation of the A14 Bionic because the 4th generation iPad Air, which is also powered by the A14 Bionic chip, has a USB-C port that supports speeds of up to 5Gbps.
And even though it's certainly disappointing, it's unlikely this discovery would put people off from buying the new iPad. The target audience is likely only going to use the USB-C port for charging and perhaps only the Apple Pencil.
For the majority of people who use their iPads as secondary devices, they are likely going to rely on wireless transfer technology like AirDrop to get their files onto their iPads. Or perhaps they use iCloud Drive, in which case, files would have already been automatically synced across all devices.
Check out our review of the 10th generation iPad here.
