The numbers
- Advanced USB: a 1 GiB file copied to the phone at 37 MB/s and read back at 38 MB/s.
- Standard USB (MTP): 50 files of 4 MiB read back at 26 to 29 MB/s; copies to the phone at about 14 MB/s.
- Secure Wi-Fi: 50 files of 4 MiB read back at 3 to 4 MB/s; copies to the phone at 13 to 17 MB/s.
Nothing Phone (3a), Android 16, MacBook Pro with M1 Pro, USB 2.0 cable, 802.11ac Wi-Fi. October 2026.
Why Wi-Fi reads are slow
The limit is the phone's Wi-Fi upload. With no PortLine, no encryption and no Android debugging in the way, a plain network connection from our test phone to the Mac carried 2.5 MB/s, against 10 MB/s the other way. A locked phone also saves power by answering only every few tens of milliseconds.
Which to use
- Big videos and whole folders: Advanced USB.
- No developer settings wanted: Standard USB.
- A few files, no cable: Secure Wi-Fi.
Questions
Will a USB 3 cable make it faster?
Only if the phone's port supports USB 3 for data. Many phones, including our test phone, transfer data at USB 2.0 speed.
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