Xperia Z - micro USB port weak point

[Becky]

The micro USB port on my z has stopped receiving charge and won't even allow the charger to be plugged into it any more.

The port is uniform in shape which doesn't allow you to know which way round to plug the charger, so you have to guess. Guessing places stress on the pins inside the port. In my case, they seem to have suffered because of this (imho) design fault. USBs can only be inserted one way round, so the user needs to know which way to insert it.

I am wondering if this will be a common weak spot on these phones once they have been in circulation a while?

[Sjoerdadlp]

Hello everyone,

I own the Xperia Z since the release and the same problem has happend to me. I had two problems, the ''black spot problem'' (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43170310) and this one. I really liked the phone, i had a Nexus S before this and this phone was just amazingly powerfull. I was using it 6 houres a day because i travel a lot so i waited a while to bring my phone back. Since i use it so much i was extreemly carefull with my phone. It was a toy for me.

However, about a month ago the charging port of my Xperia Z broke, so i brought it back to the T-mobile store, and i told them how carefull i was with my phone. They send it to Sony, with the message of the black spot problem and the charging port. 2 weeks later i get my phone back. Unrepaired, with a decleration that my phone is unrepairable (and that repairing my phone would be more expensive then a new phone). The black spot problem would not be fixed, the charging port would not be repaired, nothing.

I did some research and, how other pointed out, the problem is with the shape of the charging port. Other manufacturers make the shape so that you can only plug in your charging one way, Sony decided not to do so. This is quite strange, even the cheapest Chinese phone have this, and older Sony products, like the PSP, PS3, TV screens, and a lot others. When plugging in the charging cable, it puts all the force on that small little pin (thats why it breaks so easely)

I would say this is a manufacture problem, since its faulty design causes it to break. Its like making a touchscreen, but when you press to strong on the touchscreen it breaks. I mean yes its user-created damage, but its still the fault of the manufacturer for making this so weak and easy to break. How is this ''The best of Sony in a smartphone''?

My phone is lost, i cant use it anymore and my warranty has been revoked. Maybe ill try to fix it myself later on. This is my last Sony product ever, unless they can still fix my phone.

Sony, please see that this is not the end-users fault, and repair these phones. Not just for me but for the people that support Sony and want to love there products.

- Sjoerd

[Svo154]

Same problem here, have the phone only just 3 months and the connection point broke off, tmobile send it to dynalogics and they say not reparable and due to falling, which is absolutely not true. It has been a weak point from the start, never had any kind of troubles with other phones, and sony is not home, they send me back to the shop, so back and forth it comes down to lousy service and me having no phone, sony should be acting on this, as they don' t I will now take the issue to kassa and radar dutch consumer helping programs, because this is becoming a big problem for xperia users.

[Paddy12]

I have the same problem wit my z phone only had the phone for 4mounts and now they want 260 euro to fix a faulty part on there phones this kind of thing wit big companies is a joke something should be done about it it's not as we don't pay enough for these things we pay a lot of money for them

[saytamaner]

The phone-side connector of the supplied USB cable has a USB logo on top. When connected, it would be on the same side with the front of the phone, facing at you. The logo is slightly raised so you can feel it with your fingertip, in the dark for example.

[browfra77]

My usb port has broken just two months after use. I have never had a problem with past phones.. No chance of "excessive force" as o2 keep tellung me. I've also been informed that ot is "beyond economic repair". So upset, I vannot afford a new phone and o2 have been so unhelpful. Can anyone tell me, will the docking station work for me?

[gd]

i was just about to place an order for this until i read all the reviews. i thought it was joke when i first read a review on Amazon. then i followed the link to this site and realised its not worth spending money on this. this would have been my first product from Sony. I'm really disappointed but more grateful i looked twice before leaping. thanks to all those who brought this flaw to light

[jd007]

I have just bought a DK26 dock after concerns about my USB port.  It arrived today, tried to plug in my cable with the USB symbol on top like I do with the phone, assuming it would be the same and then noticed the DK26 port is actually orientated the opposite way to the phone.  Why not be consistent Sony and then you'll avoid getting damaged ports on the DK26 as well!!

[Imotravels]

I would just like to add my tales of disappointment regarding the Xperia Z, charger port. My charger port pin came loose after 3 months of use and I am going through the song and dance of trying to get Sony to admit this is a design fault and should be covered under warranty. Any suggestions from people who have had success with this would be greatly appreciated. My phone has currently been with Sony for 10 days and they estimate another 2 weeks before it will be returned from the independent repairs review service. I have already been advised that is beyond economic repair. When I informed customer services that this was obviously a common problem and sited this forum, I was told that this forum was "misleading". Anyone out there feeling misled?

In the mean time I have registered my dissatisfaction with the Xperia Z on BBC's Watch Dog's website. I suggest everyone does the same, or they will never admit to this being a design fault. This many of us surely can't be wrong. I will keep you posted.

If you are thinking of buying this phone think twice. Charging it with a normal charger is dangerous to the life of the phone. Sounds like a docking station is the only safe way to charge.

[Kjain91]

TWo months back I bought myself Xperia z. A few days later I could see that the phone was sometimes charging and then not charging. THen two days back I had inserted the usb cable to charge but it wasnt so when i took out the charging pins came out along with the usb. SO i went to Sony service center, after telling my problem the people over there said its physical damage and you need to 50 percent of the money to get a replacement. Its a huge disapppointment as due to the sony maunfacturing fault and providing us with such a weak clip they are not even providing service to fix it or replace it under warranty instead finding a excuse and saying to pay half of the price again. I mean how could the charger pin come out that easily and in such a short time. the usb port is too weak. And if I had been the only person facing this issue then it could have been like my fault and acceptable to be termed as physical damage. BUt after reading so many posts and seeing that I am not the only exception , Its hard to digest that sony is not actually looking up at its fault but rather ignoring it and claiming it as our fault. Please suggest me if there is anyway in which the mobile could be fixed or else the only option that seems sound at the moment is too go to consumer court. THanks!

[benmalone]

I have exactly the same issue as a lot of others on this forum. Have had the phone for around 4 months. Due to the poorly designed charging socket the (weak) metal element which connects the phone to the charger has snapped off inside the charger.

I have been informed by O2 here in the UK that the charging socket is not included in the warranty. Sorry, I hadn't realised we weren't meant to charge our phones! Awful design and ripping off customers making them pay Sony repair centres for damage which is caused due to poor design rather than user fault.

Not happy, will never buy or recommend a Sony product again unless I get a full replacement for my phone. (Which I paid £250 for 4 months ago and continue to pay £27 per month on my contract)