Minimum is just that, minimum.
Have you ever seen a broken standard USB port or connector? Me not once in my entire life, unlike micro-USB or USB-C.
Have you ever seen a broken standard USB port or connector? Me not once in my entire life, unlike micro-USB or USB-C.
USB A has those lugs much larger and usually also bent under the board or twisted, so the connector isn't fixed into the PCB only by solder.
USB C and micro USB are mostly designed for clamshell enclosures such as a typical phone - in that case the connector shell is supported by the enclosure itself (ideally through some flexible padding) and not only by the flimsy contacts/solder lugs.
However, there are plenty of devices on the market where these connectors are not supported like that because the designer has been an idiot - and guess which devices end up in the landfill with broken off connectors the most.
Breaking the old school USB A, square USB B or mini USB is almost impossible like this unless one applies really unreasonable amount of force. I have only ever managed to accidentally destroy a USB A port once like that by accidentally hitting a USB stick hanging out of it - but the board and the adjacent ports were fine, only the port shell and contacts were destroyed.
By some definition, that’s evidence of unreasonable force, but it definitely happens and should be anticipated when you put the device in the hands of lots of gorillas.
You're saying this as though there's a single design of USB-C cable to board connector. There are, in fact, many different designs, including many with "lugs" which go through the board, as well as mid-mount connectors which use the material of the PCB as structural support.
Framework laptops come with expansion cards that are on sturdy rails and serve as the world-facing USB-C/A/HDMI/SD card/whatever connection. The inner connector on the mainboard is well protected.
https://frame.work/assets/pdp/expansion-card-9240577483dc9e2...
I basically have to replace my laptop to use my docking station just because usb c isn't sturdy enough :/
USB-A is so simple, two holes and some leaf springs make for a satisfying clunk that doesn't wear out so quickly.
I used to think the same thing, until I looked into how the USB-C plug actually operates: The movable spring parts are all in the cable, so if there's anything wearing out, it's usually that.
Clean the plug/port (lint collecting in the back of the port prevents a proper connection and makes the haptic feedback feel off), possibly swap out the cable if the springs in it are really worn out, and things are as good as new.
> some leaf springs make for a satisfying clunk that doesn't wear out so quickly.
But once they do, you have a broken USB port.
And yet, very nearly all of the USB-C connector breakage that I've experienced has been the socket-side, not on the cable.
Now PCB quality can also wildly differ and the bonding between substrate and pads can be a weak point if the manufacturer of the device went for the cheapest possible PCB. But for that you have through-hole USB-C connectors and cables that should break before the connector.
So if your USB-C connector breaks off the PCB that is on the manufacturer of the device.
In more rental cars than not, the USB-A port is somewhat worn out, which is really annoying as it can make CarPlay connections quite fragile.
I've also seen many USB-A ports in airplanes not being able to hold the cable anymore due to the spring contacts being worn out or having been bent out of shape.
USB-A has failed just as often as Micro-USB in my experience. The only connector I haven't seen break is USB-B, but that could be due to fewer samples, since only printers seem to use that connector, and how often do you unplug/plug a printer?
I just don't believe that those connectors last that long in the real world. My personal experience and observations indicate that they don't. Or, at least, they're much less robust than earlier USB connector designs.
Funny enough, I've never seen a micro or C break :D
People would complain about the price of the cables, the size of the cables, and the size of the devices.
Small is fragile, and fragile should be replaceable.