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?

[AdrianF]

I got exactly the same problem after only 1 day! New phone arrived on Saturday, and I faulted it out to Virgin Media last night when I couldn't charge the battery. Why, oh why isn't the socket on the phone, "D" shaped like the plug on the end of  the cable? Very poor design which caused my PC to power off when I connected my phone to it.

Virgin are replacing the phone under warranty and I have now invested in a charging dock as I'm not confident it won't happen again. Wish I'd seen this thread before I bought it as I would have gone for a Samsung Galaxy or iPhone instead.

Not impressed!

[Chrissly]

Hi all here is another one to add to the list,  we have had our xperia for about 6 months and all of a sudden the usb charging stopped working and we noticed the pin gone,  as the phone under warrenty we took to the Tshop in Midland Gate and get a reqponse from the repairs.  

The subject device has been assessed and found to be out of warranty repair due to Physical damage. broken usb connector.
To proceed with this repair the quoted amount is $ 350.00

OMG how can they do this there is obvioulsy a problem with the design of the phone charging port.  i was told by the service person at the shop that i was the second person that day to bring in their Xperia with the same problem.  I have written to the repair centre and my account manager and intend to take this all the way to consumer proteciton if i have to. like many others i am still paying for the phone.  I have a Galaxy S4 which i have no problems with have had samsung for years but was told by sales person from Telstra that the Xperia was a superior phone i dont think so.....

[sudr]

Same thing happened to me. The micro usb port pin was stuck in the charger. I have sent it to vodafone (australia) for repair and they came back with a quote of $355, which was not at all to my liking. When I gave them a call, it seems that they cannot repair the broekn pin and were offering me a refurished phone. I have watched video's online and have seen website offering the same repair for $40. The part(micro usb port) itself is around $5 and it is just matter of unsoldering the old part and soldering the new one back on the board.

I think sony has to step up and take responsibility on this issue as the broken pin is highly due to the flaw in their design. However , that is unlikely to happen as it will be a costly exercise for them. I will be taking it to a sony store to have a second opinion. If that is not sorted out at a reasonable price, I will probably think twice before buying another sony device as well as recommend its competitors such as samsung and apple, which does not have such design defect.

My other options are using my old HTC legend, which is still working fine after 3 years except that it can't handle the new apps or buy the charging dock (DK26) to be able to use the phone but without being able to use it micro usb port, which defeats the purpose of having a smartphone. Another option is buying the part and trying to solder it myself.
For now, I will be taking it to the Sony store and see their response.

[Paulaabfab]

I've got exactly the same problem with my xperia z, I plugged it in to charge it and the pins have come out in the charger, plus I did plug it in the right way, sony have been awful, I sent it away to them and they told me they would keep me informed how the repair was going, I had to phone them 3 times to locate where the phone was coz they kept saying they hadn't recieved it, so I phoned Royal Mail coz I decided to send it recorded post who gave me the name of the person who signed for it, they now say it's too expensive to repair and won't give me a replacement, I have told them I'm going to take them to court as I said it was a manufacturing fault of sony, I enclosed copies of this forum with my damaged phone, I will keep you updated.

[jimmyb01]

I'm another one with the same problem. Sent to sony yesterday. I will post the outcome.

[marac5]

I have the same problem. The micro usb port pin was stuck in the charger. The charger was overheating from the day I bought the phone. The provider also says it is due to physical damage. I am still waiting to see what will happen.

[groupama3]

I'm sure I'll get destroyed for this post, but it's just my opinion

After spending €300 on this phone, I never once considered charging it using the usb port. In my opinion it was designed to be charged in a dock not over usb.  Docks are available on ebay for less than €10. You can transfer files via wifi with little hassle, either by using a 3rd party app from play store, or figuring out the xperia way of doing it. In theory you should rarely need to open any of the covers. The only time I use the usb is for transferring large files when time is an issue.

let the flaming begin..

Gary

[dalak]

I have the sameissue, after 5 months.

I have sent it to service and they have canceld the warranty.

Now searching for a way to deal with this.

I will buy a chargind dock but "I demand satisfaction " for the canceld warranty

[dalak]

I have created a FB group, let`s gather as many people facing this problem as we can.

When we will be a good number we will address SONY to advertice the Xperia Z toghether with the chargind dock, and will addmint that the usb port is flawed.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1411717545728835/

Please join, in numbers we will have our success

[tonigreensill]

My partners xperia z did the same, took to shop n said its not under they warrenty... worst phone he ever had and a joke they wont fix it when there been obv so many complaints