Is USB-C any more or less durable a socket?

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
17,575
9,265
136
My wife is busy finishing off her second Nokia 7 Plus, same problem as before, the USB-C socket is developing a wobbly connection. She had a third party repair company repair the first one but it developed the issue again, now the replacement phone has the same problem.

She's been using smartphones for several years (2012 I think?), and this is the first phone model that she's had this problem with. Admittedly I don't think it helps matters at all when she uses her phone in bed while charging and the cable near the phone end is being pushed into a curve, and I've tried to encourage her not to do it, but hey ho. Also, there's no question about cable or socket, same problem with new cable (or one of mine).

I remember a conversation on this forum about USB-C with some opinions being thrown around about its durability compared to the older USB-micro socket, but do people here think that USB-C is less durable than its predecessor? Admittedly even if there was a consensus I guess I won't help much (because the alternative is 'go Apple', and I seriously doubt she'll want to do that), but it would be useful to know in advance that say changing brand won't help, or perhaps there's a whole slew of Nokia users here with no USB-C problems. Admittedly I have a newer Nokia 8.3 5G but a) I've only had it about 6 months and b) as I switch off unnecessary services on my phone and I mostly use my desktop, my phone only needs charging approx. every 4-6 days rather than my wife's daily phone charging routine.

She's expressing an interest in a new phone (or at least is considering her options, replace/repair), and my feeling is that because she was most satisfied with her Samsung Galaxy S6 which is still going strong as her 'predominantly for games' phone (with a side dish of 'she never fully migrated to her new phone'), I'd probably go with another Samsung phone this time around.
 

quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
4,068
649
126
/shrug Only issues I have ever had with charging cables are microUSB on Xbox controller due to my kids being way too rough with them and lightning cables because lightning cables are frail as f (my wife has broken 3).
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,004
19,442
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USB-C seems quite good and durable. I mean they are using them for laptops. The only issue I've had with it over micro-USB is lint. It's got more space for lint to get in, which for my phone has made the charging cable not click in as much as it could. Just gotta get a safety pin and clean it out every now and then.
 
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ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,414
8,356
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my pixel 2's usb c port is loose with any cable except the one it came with. been that way for months now. at least 1500 insertion/removal cycles
 

DeathReborn

Platinum Member
Oct 11, 2005
2,743
734
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I will say after about 2 years I did find USB Type C to have more issues charging my phone than previous Micro USB phones did, loose connection being the issue.

Ps Apologies for the derp in the video thumbnail...
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,133
5,072
136
My Galaxy S8+ along with the charge cable and and charger that came with it are all approaching 5 years old of daily use and abuse.
(knocks on every piece of wood in sight)
Zero problems.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,899
819
126
%99.99 of the time that I have ever has issues with USB-C was

1. Cable frays at the tip because of how I lay my wireless chargers and phone leaving it always bending
2. Lint. Most, if not all, my loose connection issues have been lint. Even when I can't see it, a good air can blow fixes the issue.
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
21,582
10,785
136
My ROG Phone II's bottom USB-C port is obstructed by something. Probably lint as indicated by @Oyeve . The side port is still snug and works perfectly. I can charge on either port, but even the slightest bump will break the connection.
 
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killster1

Banned
Mar 15, 2007
6,208
475
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I will say after about 2 years I did find USB Type C to have more issues charging my phone than previous Micro USB phones did, loose connection being the issue.

Ps Apologies for the derp in the video thumbnail...
that is not micro! thats micro b which is actually pretty decent minus the one way orientation. never used for phones ;(


My ROG Phone II's bottom USB-C port is obstructed by something. Probably lint as indicated by @Oyeve . The side port is still snug and works perfectly. I can charge on either port, but even the slightest bump will break the connection.
didnt know any phones had two usb c ports, so great.
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
21,582
10,785
136
didnt know any phones had two usb c ports, so great.

ROG Phones are different animals. They have a lot of good features, but a few bad ones, like poor network support in the United States. I can't even get my 4G LTE ROG Phone II working with AT&T's push for VoLTE because AT&T won't whitelist it. ROG Phone 5 and 5s have spotty 4G LTE speeds, will probably never support more than a few of the 5G bands AT&T brings online, and still won't support Wifi calling for whatever reason. Kind of embarassing for a phone that can have 18GB of RAM and 512GB of fast storage. Oh, and two USB-C ports. And a headphone jack! And a 6000 mAh battery! And a 144mhz display!
 
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DaaQ

Golden Member
Dec 8, 2018
1,278
923
136
My wife is busy finishing off her second Nokia 7 Plus, same problem as before, the USB-C socket is developing a wobbly connection. She had a third party repair company repair the first one but it developed the issue again, now the replacement phone has the same problem.

She's been using smartphones for several years (2012 I think?), and this is the first phone model that she's had this problem with. Admittedly I don't think it helps matters at all when she uses her phone in bed while charging and the cable near the phone end is being pushed into a curve, and I've tried to encourage her not to do it, but hey ho. Also, there's no question about cable or socket, same problem with new cable (or one of mine).

I remember a conversation on this forum about USB-C with some opinions being thrown around about its durability compared to the older USB-micro socket, but do people here think that USB-C is less durable than its predecessor? Admittedly even if there was a consensus I guess I won't help much (because the alternative is 'go Apple', and I seriously doubt she'll want to do that), but it would be useful to know in advance that say changing brand won't help, or perhaps there's a whole slew of Nokia users here with no USB-C problems. Admittedly I have a newer Nokia 8.3 5G but a) I've only had it about 6 months and b) as I switch off unnecessary services on my phone and I mostly use my desktop, my phone only needs charging approx. every 4-6 days rather than my wife's daily phone charging routine.

She's expressing an interest in a new phone (or at least is considering her options, replace/repair), and my feeling is that because she was most satisfied with her Samsung Galaxy S6 which is still going strong as her 'predominantly for games' phone (with a side dish of 'she never fully migrated to her new phone'), I'd probably go with another Samsung phone this time around.

I have same issue, different brands.

It is always my wife's phone, her sister's phone & her daughter's (my wife's niece) which is an apple, or was I think she got a new one.

They go through cables like they are out of style, can never have a full charge, or they will not fast charge.

They are tethered to wall plugs and ruin my cables occasionally as well.

I have 3 devices. Personal phone, work phone and a work tablet. I leave tablet in the work vehicle 99% of the time and use a Motorola Turbo 12V car charger. It is a Samsung Galaxy Tab3 got it in 2018 sometime. 6000mWh battery, and I can run navigation on it starting out at like 10% power driving for 9 hours and it will charge to 100% and maintain that off the car charger.

My phone, I plug in after work, or at bedtime and usually do not have to plug in again during day. Running Bluetooth audio to FM transmitter for audio duties all day during work. Generally get home at 50% give or take 10% This is a Motorola Edge Plus.

My work phone, I sometimes have to charge that during day, Samsung Galaxy 8. Usually when I have a phone call going for hours on speaker phone or video call so other tech can see what I am seeing.

These all have BT and location on all times. And some places don't have cell signal so searching for signal as well during an 8 hours shift.

I would say USB-C has been alot more durable. But it is not durable enough for the PPL that have to look at them 100's of times a day and let them constantly run on less than 20% battery and using while in bed charging.

Sorry for sounding like a pig, but USB-C is not wife durable enough yet.

My wife managed to pull off a feat thought impossible. After breaking/cracking many screens. When Motorola came out with the Turbo phones, the ones with the shatterproof screens. They lived up to the shatterproof part. But they still were not wife proof. She burnt the screen with a cigarette. She lived with that burn mark in her screen for 2 years.

EDIT: Going to look into the lint thing, never noticed before, but going to see if theirs are stuffed with it.