This $6 dirt-cheap resolution retains my cellphone...

Pocket-lint. Apart from being the perfect supply for all issues tech, it serves double responsibility in our pockets, wreaking perpetual havoc on our smartphone’s

USB-C ports
. All through the years, and regardless of my finest efforts to mitigate the problem, a number of of my well-worn smartphones have succumbed to crud-filled charging ports. On my

Galaxy S20
particularly, it reached some extent the place my USB-C cables would merely fall out of the machine, owing to the unfastened connection attributable to tightly-packed mud particles and material fibers.

Earlier than you say it, I am all too conscious of the truth that I can

clean out my phone’s charging port
with a little bit of isopropyl rubbing alcohol, a needle, and a while and persistence. The issue is that I lack persistence, and I haven’t got a very regular hand, both. That is how I ended up frying my S20’s charging port altogether — a ability concern, to make sure, however a problem nonetheless.

After this unlucky prevalence, I made a decision to pivot in a unique route totally. I requested myself how I may presumably mitigate the basis explanation for my pocket-lint-packed troubles. Because it seems, cleansing out the mud and particles in my pockets is a shedding battle. After some analysis and extra ponderance on the matter, I ultimately settled on this game-changing $6 resolution, as a substitute.

Anti-dust plugs are the answer to my woes

USB-C mud plugs are economical, efficient, and ingenious

Look, I do know I is perhaps elevating an eyebrow or two in saying this, however I genuinely imagine the 50-pack of USB Sort-C mud plugs I bought from Amazon is the most effective $6 funding I’ve made in years. Apart from being a extremely cost-effective resolution to the age-old downside of lint-infested charging ports, they supply just a bit little bit of extra insurance coverage and peace of thoughts for anal-retentive of us like myself.

Regardless of trendy smartphones providing official

IP ratings for dust and water ingress protection
, I am unable to assist however really feel like my cellphone is safer when sporting its mud plug. I used to be initially skeptical whether or not the plugs would type a good seal, or in the event that they’d find yourself falling out or inflicting every other points in observe. Fortunately, in my expertise, they match cosy as a glove, they keep put, they usually solely come away when intentionally eradicating them from my cellphone’s port.

Should you’re a wired cellphone charging sort of particular person, then this resolution most likely is not for you. I am unable to think about the annoyance of inserting and eradicating a mud plug each day, and even a number of occasions a day. For me,

as a wireless charging Qi2 evangelist
, protecting my cellphone’s USB-C port obfuscated gives no extra friction in my day-to-day life. I solely ever take away the plug within the odd circumstance the place I am transferring information to my PC, performing a handbook backup, or plugging in a USB-C peripheral.

What I significantly love concerning the set of mud plugs I bought is that they are inconspicuous. They do not jut out of my cellphone a lot in any respect, they’re barely seen when out and about, and, if I by accident lose one, I’ve a number of dozen others sitting idly at residence. I’ve so many kicking round, actually, that I’ve even gone forward and plugged up the USB-C ports on my

external SSDs
for good measure, too.

All of this has acquired me pondering: why do not USB-C ports characteristic built-in lint obstacles on the {hardware} specification stage? I actually do not need to return to the times of the

Galaxy S5
, with its finicky and disruptive charging port cowl, however my model of gadget nirvana actually consists of USB-C gadgets with unobtrusive built-in mud and lint shutters. I doubt we’ll see such a factor hit the mainstream anytime quickly, and so I will proceed to hoard my assortment of mud plugs for the sake of my lint-adverse sanity.

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