[FabHK]

I had the 2016 MBP, bought just when it came out, and now the same (long story...), but built in 2020. The ports on the new one seem much more stable - one has to plug it in, and then on the last millimetre there is increased friction really holding it tight. I don't think the ports on my old machine had that feature, and yes, they were very fragile - I'd basically kick off the Time Machine backup on an external drive and leave the room, hoping that it finishes!

The ports on the new one seem more stable, though. Maybe they've iterated and improved it - think about how much time they had to optimise USB A.

[meatmanek]

This is good to know. You can get replacement USB-C boards[1] for the 2016/2017 MBP, and I've been wondering whether they have the improved ports that newer model years got, or whether the replacement board would wear out as quickly as the original board. Your experience suggests that maybe they're using better ports.

1. https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/MacBook-Pro-Retina-A1706-A1...