Question from Rhonda K.: Hi Rick. I have an really ancient Samsung Galaxy S II that I really love. It still works great except the Micro-USB port seems to be worn out.
The phone won’t charge with my car charger unless I hold the connector in a certain position. Can this be fixed pretty cheap or do I need to just replace the phone. I’m hoping your answer is that it can be fixed because I absolutely love this phone!!
By the way, this is an awesome site! I’ve learned so much from you!
Rick’s answer: Hi Rhonda. First of all, thanks for the kind words about the site. I really appreciate it!
As to your question, I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing that the problem is with the connector on the charger instead of the one on the phone.
I’ve had a couple of different Samsung phones and I wore out several car chargers before the phones themselves actually died. The wall chargers don’t seem to have that problem.
I recommend trying the phone with a different car charger. I have a feeling you’ll find that it still charges just fine without having to hold the connector in place. But if it does turn out to be the Micro-USB connector on the phone, I think you’d be better off simply replacing the phone. It can be fixed, but in my opinion it just isn’t worth the expense.
Update from Rhonda: You were right Rick. I borrowed my friend’s car charger and it worked just fine. I went to Walmart and bought a new one and now all is fine. Thanks for your help!
Bonus tip #1: If you ever decide to upgrade to a newer phone you can always use your Galaxy S2 as an emergency radio scanner. This post explains how.
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