They design the chip that powers the phone. Apple designs their chips to include exactly the IO they need, and nothing more. The A18 chip does not have the IO to support USB-3 speeds on the port. No A18 device supports USB 3 speeds.
It's maddening but it is a question of cost; it's just pennies, and Apple is for sure not passing on the savings to us.
It's maddening but it is a question of cost; it's just pennies, and Apple is for sure not passing on the savings to us.