Feasibility of Replacing my Nexus 6's Dock Connector

[infinitymdm]

I've been having charging issues with my Nexus 6 (Model XT1103)  for some time now. I've done a little bit of testing (using cables I know work, etc.) and have determined that the micro-USB port on my phone is the issue. I know that the port itself is soldered onto the motherboard, but I have a reasonable amount of device repair and soldering experience and I own good tools for the job. So my question is this: how difficult is the process of replacing the micro-USB port, and are there any tricky parts I should know about? Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

[dany_boy]

Do you have a hot air station, high microscope, good flux, electronics tweezers and a decent soldering iron? If the answer is no, do you have a good soldering iron with a fine tip, fine solder, good flux and at least 1 hour to spare? (hakko fx 888 or better) If the answer to both of those is no, then don't even bother.

[infinitymdm]

3 minutes ago, dany_boy said:

Do you have a hot air station, high microscope, good flux, electronics tweezers and a decent soldering iron?

I own all of those except a microscope, but I have pretty good eyes. My soldering iron could certainly have a finer tip -- the end rounds off when it's about 1mm across. I've never needed anything more than that in the past; do you think I will need something better before attempting this?

[dany_boy]

Just now, infinitymdm said:

I own all of those except a microscope, but I have pretty good eyes. My soldering iron could certainly have a finer tip -- the end rounds off when it's about 1mm across. I've never needed anything more than that in the past; do you think I will need something better before attempting this?

If you have a hot air gun (even a crappy one) SMD is soooo much easier and doable. I would recommend you watch some tutorial videos from Louis Rossman so you can get familiar on how to properly use flux and re-tin solder pads. I strongly suggest you get at least a magnifying glass. Finally make sure you buy the exact connector for your phone, not all connectors are equal and even a small size or form difference can screw you over.

Cheers and good luck!