Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other Will iPhone 15's USB Type-C port durability be an issue?
- Thread starter DBZmusicboy01
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I don't know, but durability of repeated usage of the port is a concern of mine.
It isn't unusual for people to post USB-C ports being worn out on their Macs, I suspect this could be an issue on the iPhone.
I might plug and unplug my iPhone a dozen times a day or more, and I wonder if USB-C will take it.
Hope not. I'm ready for the transition. My iPad Air, MB Air, second phone (Galaxy S23) are all USB-C now. Plus a Lenovo laptop uses USB-C power. The main thing Lightning anymore is my 12 Pro and iPhone mag battery.
And I've taken to just plugging the Galaxy and iPad into one of the laptop cables for fast charging.
And I've taken to just plugging the Galaxy and iPad into one of the laptop cables for fast charging.
Most iPads are usb-c now. If you own an iPad then you should be confident that the port is durable.
USB-C ports are designed in such a way to put the most wear-prone components for the clip-in mechanism into the cable rather than into the port, which is intended to reduce how often these ports fail. They're supposedly rated for 10,000 insertions, but I don't know how accurate that would be for real world use.
I will say that I have yet to ever have a USB-C port fail, but I can't say I've had any USB-C devices for long enough to be at the point for which I'd expect them to either.
I will say that I have yet to ever have a USB-C port fail, but I can't say I've had any USB-C devices for long enough to be at the point for which I'd expect them to either.
Last edited:
That's the thing. Many people who own iPad Air/Pro know it's less reliable than Lightning. It's not uncommon to hear 2016-2020 MacBook Pro users complain about loose USB-C ports.
The reality is, the tongue portion of the USB-C connector is smaller than Lightning. As a result, the connection feels less secure.
Let’s hope it is durable. Lightning has worked without flaw for me but USB-C will be nice.
Never had a USB-C port fail on me and I have been using them for a few years now. My 2018 Macbook Pro has only USB-C and all four ports are just as good as the day it was new.
This is one of the reasons I don't understand why people are so hellbent on switching to USB-C. Lightning is a solid, firm connection. I can easily hang my phone or iPad from a lightning cable with no issue. Every USB-C device I have, including current Macs, has loose ports. Luckily, I haven't had any connection issues other than on a Dell laptop.
I agree but here is a funny story today.
Normally the USB-C cable for my 150 dollar smartphone is always loose and prone to pop out. But I had to charge up a device (Blackmagic Speed Editor) on a quality braided USB-C cable. This connection felt secure, but when I went to disconnect it, it wouldn’t budge! I actually feared the middle part of the port would come off with the cable. I slowly worked the cable off and no damage. But that is how you feel using USB-C.
I never had that angst with Lightning.
Same as Lightning. We know Lightning supports at least 29W.
out of interest, and without judgement, why?
I plug mine in maybe once every other day to a mains charger via Lightning, or when I get in the car once or twice a week, topped-up with intermittent wireless charging.
Probably about three iPhones back since I plugged one into a computer.
Mostly CarPlay or the radio for my cars that do not have CarPlay, but also from the occasional charging. Just from my commute, without any other stops, that would be 4 times.
If I stop to get a coffee or food on my way to work, that would be 6 times.
If I go somewhere for lunch, then that is 8 times.
If I go out to lunch and make a stop at the grocery store on the way home, that is 10.
So, 10 times, without counting any additional stops or needing to charge the phone.
To be fair, I don't go out to lunch everyday, nor get a coffee in the morning, but there are often multiple stops on my way home from work.
If it is my day off, and I am doing things around town, this could easily get up to 2 dozen times.
While this wasn't your question, I think about my kids' iPhone and how they charge their phones. Besides CarPlay when they drive, they tend to do many, short charging burst, where they charge their phones for like 10 minutes, and unplug it for a while until it is almost drained, then another 10 minutes.
Another issue is that they often use their phone while charging, potentially putting additional strain on the USB-C port.
My wife also does the same as my children, but to a lessor extent.
Maybe the USB-C port that will be on future Apple iPhones will be more robust than the ports that you commonly see now, and this will be a non-issue, but I think stuff like this should have been thought about before making the USB-C the standard for everything.
I think something like Lighting would have been a much better design.
Same with me.
Been using USB-C on various work laptops for several years (both for charging and data). Never had a port fail, nor have I had a port become "loose" over time. To be fair, I've never had a cable become "loose" either.
I've seen people (at work) break ports...but that's due to multiple incidents of carelessness on their part....
For me, USB C is fantastic.
I have a 2015 USB-C laptop that my wife uses, and the port is getting a little loose on that. She's not... terribly gentle with it tbh.
My iPhone gets plugged into a cable once in a blue moon. On the nightstand and in the car, it's just on a MagSafe puck.
My iPhone gets plugged into a cable once in a blue moon. On the nightstand and in the car, it's just on a MagSafe puck.
I’ve heavily used my 2015 MacBook with the single port since it was released and haven’t had any issues. I’m looking forward to being able to charge everything with a single cable.
In my opinion USB-C is slightly less robust than lighting. However the benefits of switching far outweigh this. I use an otter box commuter case that covers the port to keep dust and water out. 9/10 times when I need to charge my phone I do it wirelessly.
All the USB-C port failures I have come across on Youtube were caused by negligence on the users part. An example, dropping a device while connected via USB-C cable. Same with HDMI ports I might add.
I’ve had my iPad mini 6 for over a year and so far the USB-C is as good as when I got it.
USB-C is a big deal. Since buying an iPad and MacBook with USB my life has been simplified. My ipad benefits from fast charging from using my MacBook’s charger or GF’s 45watt Chromebook charger. I have a Viewsonic monitor that supports video and charging via USB-C. Just one cable plugged into my mac.
Furthermore my Sony XM3 and children’s Amazon Fire HD tablets also use USB-C. As a bonus, I also occasionally charge my apple watch through the USBC port on the iPad.
I cannot overstate how continent USBC. As far as durability versus Lightning goes, I have had no issues. My GF’s Chromebook has been heavily used and handles by her kids for 4 years and neither the port nor the cable have been problematic.
I prefer the design of Lightning.
I much prefer that it’s a male ended cable, going into a simple female port.
Having said that, other than for CarPlay in my car, I can’t remember the last time I plugged in to charge.
Now, I like that USB C is becoming the standard, it will make life easier going forward.
But…
I don’t like the kind of male, but not full male connection of a USB C ended cable, because it still has that female section inside the connector, that then has to be slotted into a female connection port, that has a male connector.
I would much rather that Apple had decided to match USB C’s specs for Lightning and given the design away, so that could be the standard going forward.
That me be a bit nostalgic &/or selfish (I charge on a slow MagSafe charging stand overnight), but for the designs reason I gave, I prefer Lightning.
I much prefer that it’s a male ended cable, going into a simple female port.
Having said that, other than for CarPlay in my car, I can’t remember the last time I plugged in to charge.
Now, I like that USB C is becoming the standard, it will make life easier going forward.
But…
I don’t like the kind of male, but not full male connection of a USB C ended cable, because it still has that female section inside the connector, that then has to be slotted into a female connection port, that has a male connector.
I would much rather that Apple had decided to match USB C’s specs for Lightning and given the design away, so that could be the standard going forward.
That me be a bit nostalgic &/or selfish (I charge on a slow MagSafe charging stand overnight), but for the designs reason I gave, I prefer Lightning.
Last edited: