Cited on HN 4 times, 2019–2022, never outright recommendedscore 0
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN cites it whenever someone asks whether USB-C holds up better than micro USB, as a small sample but concrete test.
Linus Tech Tips tests whether USB Type-C connectors are more durable than Micro-B by repeatedly plugging and unplugging them. In the test, Micro-B failed at around 8000 insertions while USB-C kept working.
The cable plug is supposed to fail instead of the socket on the device. Actual testing[1] demonstrates that the microUSB socket on the device does not last the rated 10k cycles and also that the cable lasts longer than the socket on the device. [1] [this video] TL;DW- Repeated insertion and removal led to the socket on the microUSB SSD failing after 8000 cycles, cable was still fine. USB-C still worked after 8000 cycles.
Test: microUSB socket failed at 8000 cycles, USB-C survived.
Did you actually manage to break that tiny wafer or it's more of a theoretical concern? I admit I had the same concern as you, but I'm not a mechanical engineer, and I'm sure a lot of thought was put in the mechanical design of the connector. It seems to me that the outer metal sheet on the connector will prevent a "wrong" angle on the wafer. Linus Tech Tips actually tested 10000 USB-C insertions: [this video] Spoiler: USB MicroB failed at 8000, USB-C was still working at 10000
10000-insertion test: MicroB failed at 8000, USB-C kept working.
In this (sample size of 1!) experiment, microUSB failed at 8000 insertions device side. USB C lasted beyond 8000 insertions. [this video] This isn't the first time I've heard someone suggest Lightning is more durable than USB-C, but I've not seen evidence of it.
This honestly reminds me of this "experiment" in which the conclusion was, if I remember correctly, that USB C becomes loose faster, but continues to work for longer in total: [this video]
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.
Plays via YouTube's privacy-enhanced embed
4 Hacker News comments
From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.