I've had a USB-C phone for 7 years. I did indeed have to use a needle to remove the lint that built up one time. One time in seven years. I enjoyed it. It was so satisfying and it's a shame I've never needed to do it again.

It's really not a big deal. It's just a needle. An incredibly common tool found in most households.

The advantages easily outweigh this one small downside.

The main advantage is ubiquity. You can thank Apple for Lightning not having that. They could have made USB-C redundant, but of course that just isn't the Apple way.