Here’s everything you can do with the USB-C port on 2018 iPad Pro

Apple’s novel iPad Pro unveiled inwards Oct 2018 has ditched the proprietary Lightning connector for the industry-standard USB-C port, opening a whole novel the world of possibilities.

USB-C on iPad Pro

On the surface, USB-C does much of the same things equally Lightning: it charges your iPad Pro together with lets you lot connect it to a third-party accessory. That’s where the similarities halt because Lightning is Apple’s proprietary excogitation that requires accessory makers to overstep their MFi certification together with integrate a special encryption flake that raises prices.

USB-C, on the other hand, has deep manufacture support.

The iPad accessories ecosystem isn’t nearly equally huge equally the iPhone accessories, but USB-C should assistance alter the situation. Many of the existing Lightning accessories volition probable hold out reworked for USB-C connectivity (possibly creating temporary incompatibilities inwards the process).

According to Apple, the USB-C port on the 11-inch together with the 12.9-inch models lets you:

• Charge your iPad Pro


• Charge other devices


• Connect to external displays


• Connect to computers


• Connect to a bunch of other devices


• Play good together with purpose good devices

Thanks to USB-C, you lot tin connect information accessories together with monitors to the tablet simultaneously.

Charge your iPad Pro

2018 iPad Pro ships with a USB-C cable together with an 18-watt USB-C brick that supports fast charging via the USB Power Delivery standard. To accuse your iPad Pro, merely plug ane terminate of the cable into the USB-C port on the tablet itself together with the other into the included charger or a comparable third-party USB-C powerfulness adapter that supports USB Power Delivery.

You tin connect your tablet to a higher-wattage USB-C powerfulness adapter equally well.

Doing thus mightiness effect inwards faster charging, peculiarly if you lot purpose the USB-C adapter that shipped with your Mac notebook. Connecting the tablet to your computer’s USB-C port works, too.

Charge other devices

Other USB-C devices tin now recharge via the iPad Pro battery, including your iPhone.

If you’re out together with almost together with you lot need exactly about extra juice for your phone, merely plug it into your iPad Pro via the Lightning to USB-C cable (sold separately, available alone from Apple at an extra $19). Just similar that, your telephone begins charging off of the iPad Pro battery.

Charging an iPad Pro from exactly about other iPad Pro is supported, Apple explains:

If you lot receive got ii iPad Pro models with USB-C ports, you lot tin connect them direct with a USB-C cable. One iPad Pro volition depict powerfulness from the other. If you lot desire to alter which iPad Pro charges, unplug the USB-C cable together with thus reconnect them.

Apple lately released a USB-C version of the Apple Watch charging cable, priced at $29 for a 0.3 meter version (one feet) thus you lot tin fifty-fifty juice upwardly your lookout on the go. Otherwise, purpose Apple’s USB-C to USB adapter to connect the watch’s measure USB cable to the tablet.

The magnetic charger cable for Apple Watch is straight off available with USB-C

Using your iPad Pro to accuse older iOS devices via Lightning requires Apple’s exclusive USB-C to Lightning cable. If you lot receive got a regular Lightning to USB cable, you lot tin combine it with Apple’s USB-C to USB Adapter, thus connect the adapter to iPad Pro.

Connect to displays

Connecting your iPad Pro to an external display lets you lot lookout high dynamic make (HDR10) video, play Keynote presentations, edit Pages documents, play games together with more. It should hold out noted that such a setup simply mirrors the iPad Pro built-in display. For a truthful instant covert experience, you’ll need an app that supports this capability, similar a video-streaming app.

iPad Pro supports USB-C together with HDMI displays.

USB-C displays

If you lot receive got a high-resolution USB-C/Thunderbolt external display, you lot tin plug it into your iPad Pro using the included USB-C cable. The tablet uses the DisplayPort protocol to back upwardly connections to USB-C displays with resolutions upwardly to 5K. Keep inwards heed that Thunderbolt three displays, such equally the LG UltraFine 5K Display, are non supported yesteryear iPad Pro.

Some USB-C displays tin also accuse iPad Pro acre it’s connected

Apple recommends cables that back upwardly high-bandwidth connections, similar the ane included with your display, Belkin’s ain USB-C to USB-C cable or its own Thunderbolt three (USB-C) cable.

When playing HDR video on an external display, switch betwixt SDR together with HDR modes inwards Settings → Display & Brightness, thus conduct your connected monitor. To receive got the tablet check the frame charge per unit of measurement together with dynamic make of currently playing content, slide the push side yesteryear side to Allow Display Mode Changes to the ON position.

HDMI displays or TVs

To claw upwardly your iPad Pro to an HDMI display or TV, you’ll need an appropriate USB-C to HDMI adapter. To output video from iPad Pro at 4K resolution together with 60Hz, your adapter must hold out certified for the HDMI 2.0 measure (Apple’s own USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter outputs video from the tablet at 4K resolution but one-half the frame charge per unit of measurement at 30Hz).

Apple cautions almost outputting good together with HDR video via HDMI:

iPad Pro tin output Dolby Digital Plus good streams via HDMI, but non Dolby Atmos. Also banker's bill that iPad Pro volition play HDR10 or Dolby Vision content via HDMI when HDMI 2.0 adapters that back upwardly these formats buy the farm available.

If you’re using Apple’s adapter, toggling on the Match Content selection inwards Settings → Displays will ensure that the tablet automatically switches to the right agency when playin video content (its Home covert together with apps look on HDMI displays at 1080p together with 60Hz).

Connect to computers

Why would you lot desire to connect your iPad Pro to a computer?

Well, charging via USB-C is ane argue together with the other is iTunes syncing (if you lot withal tending almost that). similar before, you lot tin purpose apps similar iMazing’s iOS browser to browse files on the device.

ROUNDUP: Best USB-C packs that back upwardly Power Delivery

If the estimator you’re trying to connect your iPad Pro to has an older USB-A port, you’ll need the right cable similar the Apple-recommended Belkin 3.1 USB-A to USB-C cable.

Connect to other devices

Aside from computers together with external displays, the USB-C port allows your iPad Pro to genuinely connect to a whole bunch of dissimilar types of devices together with accessories.

For example, you lot tin connect a digital photographic telly camera or the Apple USB-C to SD Card Reader to import photos to your iPad Pro. Or, you lot tin plug your turntable into the tablet to mix tunes similar a pro.

The next types of USB-C devices are supported:

• Hubs together with docks


• Keyboards


• Audio interfaces together with MIDI devices


• External storage devices to import photos together with videos


• USB to Ethernet adapters

And if that wasn’t enough, purpose USB-C docks to add together additional ports to your iPad Pro.

Hyper’s hub brings ports similar HDMI, USB-A, SD card, 3.5mm good jack together with to a greater extent than to iPad Pro

If the peripheral device features an older USB-A port, plug it start into the USB-C to USB adapter (available from Apple for $19 a pop) earlier plugging the adapter into the iPad’s USB-C port.

Play audio

Although iPad Pro no longer has the industry-standard 3.5mm headphone jack, Apple’s USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack adapter (sold separately inwards exchange for exactly nine buck) lets you lot connect your legacy headphones to the tablet. If you lot make off to ain the headphones with a USB-C connector, you lot tin purpose them with iPad Pro without an adapter.

You tin also purpose the USB-C port to connect to USB-C-based good accessories together with docks, including good interfaces together with MIDI devices (MIDI is typically used yesteryear good pros to connect to a broad diversity of electronic musical instruments, computers together with related good devices).

USB-C is the future

As USB-C has been gaining broad acceptance, iPhone should switch to it side yesteryear side year. When that happens, accessory makers volition hold out able to at long terminal halt supporting both Lightning together with USB-C. With a unmarried USB-C port, iPad accessories won’t hold out exactly cheaper to produce, they’ll also hold out to a greater extent than universally compatible than before.

Nomad’s 100W USB-C rugged cable

And let’s non forget that the improver of USB-C theoretically opens upwardly the novel iPad Pro to exactly about enterprise-grade hardware, similar NAS, external storage devices together with thus forth.

TUTORIAL: How to fast-charge your iPhone

At the really least, things that previously required adapters—like connecting your DSLR or digital video photographic telly camera to the tablet to import content direct into the Photos app—should straight off require zippo to a greater extent than than a unmarried USB-C cable to work,

Be certain to depository fiscal establishment check out the new USB-C accessories that Apple unveiled amongst 2018 iPad Pro.

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