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Ask HN: Are USB-C ports less durable than micro USB?

13 points by raffraffraff ↗ HN
I've had a phone for a few years, and it hasn't been mistreated. Almost every morning I go to unplug my charger cable and it either fell out during the night or is so low that it falls it when I pick up the phone. There is no debris in the port. I've never had this problem with any older USB port (although I have had to clear debris once or twice).

It really sucks that this phone is perfect apart from the charger port

16 comments

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tjoff
Or just a low quality cable?

In general I'd say usb-c is considered far more durable than micro-usb. But as always, tolerances vary between products.

mardiyah
has nothing to do with its kind

it's up to quality and brand, ie. whichever top notch one will serve well and be very durable, as money never lie

rozenmd
My Pixel 3 only "grips" the official Pixel 3 charger cable.

Using my MacBook's USB C cable requires constant checking that it's still connected - could just be an extra "feature" Google added.

hocuspocus
No issue using Apple cables with my Pixel 5, Galaxy S10, Essential PH-1, Nexus 6P... even cheap Samsungs and Nokias in my family.
drstewart
I use this combination all the time with no issue
jimmoores
There probably _is_ something in the port compressed up against the back - try scraping around inside with a non-conductive pointy thing.
Szpadel
I have the same issue as author, and what you said was also my initial guess, but after a careful inspection i can assure you that there is nothing in the port (scrapped with end of zip tie to not damage anything inside) and cable is in fact applied fully in the port. I also tried different cables that fit correctly before and still fit in other devices, so in my feel there is very little chance that this is anything other that port fault. It's pixel 2xl if that's important for anyone.
raffraffraff
Thankfully mines a Fairphone 3 so I should be able to get a replacement bottom middle for €20 if they're ever back in stock :/
londons_explore
USB-D ought to need to pass this test before release:

Dip both plug and socket in water, sand, pocket lint, soil, and cat fur.

Plug in cable

Wiggle a bunch, tug the cable in a few random directions.

Disconnect, then repeat the process 10,000 times.

If the plug and socket still work correctly after that, then it's a good socket design. If not, it is insufficiently robust and the designers should redesign.

mcv
Wasn't one of the goals of the micro-USB plug that if anything failed, it should always be the plug and never the socket? That's always sounded like a sensible approach to me. Of course I'd rather not have anything fail, and yeah, micro-USB plugs do seem to break a bit too easily, but they're easier to replace than a socket.
londons_explore
The sockets also break though. The plastic 'tongue' in the middle snaps off and then it doesn't work at all.
dTal
I've long held that USB should have been TRRS (like headphones) from the beginning - compact, physically robust, rotationally symmetric, and very very easy to plug in. I've heard two objections to this - packet loss caused by intermittent contact from the connector rotating while plugged in, and the requirement to make the system resilient to transient shorts while being plugged and unplugged. Neither seems like a serious engineering challenge, in light of the reliability and user interface fiasco that pretty much every USB connector has been so far until USB-C.
timonoko
There are two kinds of USB-C, "short" and "long". The connector is the same, but the plastic sleeve covers too much and the connector cannot go deep enough to click. Skillful operator likeme removes so much excess plastic that some metal stays exposed when plugged in. 8 millimeter seems to be the optimal connector length.
rasz
USB-C moves wear to the plugs just like micro USB. If your cable falls out its plug is 'spent'.