Just randomly sharing my experience here. My sister told me a few weeks ago she was going to change for a new phone (a Motorola, she likes AOSP-like experience). I noticed that her new phone wouldn’t get a jack.
“Yeah, I know, I hope I can make it work with a USB-adapter”. She has nice headphones that she likes to use, so USB-C earplugs were not an option.
Fast forward to today, she told me the adapter she got starts to malfunction:
- she has to twitch the jack in the adapter for the thing to work
- when she plugs the adapter in, Google Assistant takes over and randomly starts skipping songs.
She’s now considering getting wireless earbuds, but she’s not a fan of having to recharge them to be able to use them, and is also cautious about the e-waste potential.
I have a Moto G84 which does the job. It’s not the best phone in the world, I’m eyeing a flagship from time to time and keep the G84 as a “connected walkman”, but would it break today, I would probably get a G55 (https://www.notebookcheck.net/Motorola-Moto-G55-smartphone-review-Inexpensive-doesn-t-have-to-be-boring.932900.0.html)
That’s it for me, do you have similar experiences to share?
I basically don’t notice that I don’t have a headphone jack. My usb-c adapter is just permanently affixed to my wired IEMs and it basically makes no difference to me if the plug is round or usb-c shaped.
I definitely recommend biting the bullet and getting a good adapter. Since I have a pixel I use the Google one. I made sure my partner got an official apple one for their iPhone since I remember seeing rumors about a volume difference between them if mixed and matched. Aside from Apple shenanigans I haven’t really had an issue with them. I also only charge at night so I never have the problem of needing to charge and listen at the same time.
I love my pixel 6a, except for this point.
Fortunately, I have no bad experience on it with USB c adapter and the jack glued to it 😁👌
No not it is not a must. And the vast majority of pwope don’t care.
After experiencing true wireless ear buds, I’m never going back. Yeah no thanks, I don’t want to be literally tethered to my phone.
I still have been able to play games on my phone with truly wireless earbuds because the latency is awful. I’d love to have an option to plug in.
Do both your phone and earbuds support aptx?
Cheap devices almost never support it, but it’s truly what makes Bluetooth earbuds great.
Google pixel 6 Pro with Google Buds Pro. Not really cheaped out but no aptx on the earbuds. I assumed low latency codec would be there when I bought a pro version of an earbud from a company that removes their headphone jack, but noooooooo.
Google buds aren’t cheap but… They aren’t really a prime example or wireless earbuds. Basically just the equivalent of the air pods. Decent sound, but a solid middle ground in terms of features and quality.
Take a look at some other options that do support aptx or at least Bluetooth LE Audio. Aim for BT 5.3 support, but BT 5.2 may be acceptable if you are happy with BT LE Audio latency.I use the Sony WF-1000XMS with BT LE Audio on the Steamdeck and the latency is fine for most gaming. Latexy seems to be around 30-100ms at my best estimation (depending on the quality and complexity of the audio being transmitted).
But the WF-1000XMS don’t support aptx. There are lots of devices that do though. I’d recommend looking for aptx-ll specifically, but aptx-hd is also a massive improvement.As a side note, the reason I use WF-1000XMS is for the excellent ANC (I’m autistic), so I am not recommending them as gaming earbuds, but just as an example of quality earbuds that work for me.
You don’t have to go back. You can have both. A headphone jack does not preclude the use of Bluetooth.
Did you know?
Phones can have a headphone jack and still have Bluetooth for the people who don’t want to use it!
Of course it is possible, but it is an inefficient use of internal phone space. It adds another physical failure point. Increases risk of water entry. And adds construction/repair cost.
All for some thing few care about already and that number gets smaller everyday.
Sorry to be harshly pragmatic about it (I have a few niche hobbies myself) but it’s time to let it go.
it is an inefficient use of internal phone space.
It is only inefficient for you. I never use the selfie camera. Should I be campaigning for its removal?
It adds another physical failure point.
As you don’t use it, you don’t care if it fails.
Increases risk of water entry.
No. This is a solved problem.
And adds construction costs
More so for the selfie camera.
and repair cost.
If you don’t use it, you don’t need it repairing
I can’t even lol.
Google should remove the extremely popular camera (and takes a tenth of the size) so you can “you” can have a port…
Given the quality of that response, I’m just stopping there…
Have a good day, I’m out.
I’m showing how biased your logic is by swapping one word.
Headphone Jacks are also popular. Over 60% preference on android and 92% of people prefer the rear camera
My facts beat your feelings.
Ok… Don’t think I said they couldn’t?
Bluetooth can’t even transport mp3 quality. Let alone CD or even HD quality music.
That’s not true. It depends on the codecs both devices use. But regardless, I mostly listen to podcasts and my hearing is by far the limiting factor in audio quality.
There is no “mp3 quality”, as that can vastly vary depending on bitrate. And what is HD quality music supposed to be? I bet you couldn’t reliably differentiate high quality mp3, CD audio and completely uncompressed wav in a series of blind tests.
That’s like saying people can’t tell the difference between 720p, 1080 and 4K
No, it’s not
Maybe it’s your ears or system but in this house we can certainly tell the difference between a 2 mb mp3 file and a 400mb DSD.
Try a high Bitrate mp3 and the difference becomes a pure technicality.
“USB-adapter” in this context used to be quite a shitshow.
I’ve seen at least the bastardisations of the USB-c spec where manufacturers just repurpose a couple of pins for analog audio. One for samsung, one for Xiaomi etc.
I hope most have gone over to being proper USB soundcards with a DAC today.
My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy A32, the last in the A3x line that has one. It’s really nice to have a headphone jack because… well, you plug your pair in, and it just works. You don’t have to worry about Bluetooth connections, or another battery that will die one day that you constantly have to recharge. Also, you get FM radio functionality on your phone, which isn’t really useful, but it’s pretty fun to mess with. I’m surprised Apple never had it on the iPod Touch despite the Nano and Classic both having it (some with a special accessory that unlocks the feature, some have it built in).
Also, support for my phone ends on Android 13 (One UI 5.1), meaning if I want new features (or even emoji updates), I have to get a newer phone, and that means either getting a lower tier model to keep that headphone jack at the cost of performance, or getting the same tier (or higher) at the cost of the jack. And I was never convinced by other Android phone manufacturers either, especially since companies like OnePlus don’t sell their products in my country, so my options are either Samsung, Google, or a whole bunch of Chinese companies, many have really terrible skins of Android. Either that or I get an iPhone, and none of the ones that are currently supported have the headphone jack. So I guess I’m sticking with my A32 until the day it nukes itself.
I just keep buying phones with headphone jacks. I use bluetooth headphones too, but have a wired set for fallback, especially when travelling.
Also, if you’re on a call or vc, a good wired set wth a well placed mike on the wire (e.g. marshall mode) gives you better sound quality and better exclusion of environment noise than any bluetooth headphones, and you don’t have to worry about earbud batteries running out mid call.
It limits phone selection a lot, but so far there has been good phones with headphone jacks every time
I was dead against losing my 3.5mm jack, and tried to use a USB-to-3.5mm adaptor but it was poor, with issues like your sister experienced.
I finally decided to try a set of relatively cheap earplugs and I wish I’d done it sooner. They’re lightweight, have good connectivity and a convenient charging case. I’m getting better quality audio and experience than I was with my 3.5mm jack - i’d have to replace my headsets every year or less as the wires got damaged over time, and the audio quality is actually better with my bluetooth earplugs. I used to avoid bluetooth after bad experiences over the years with audio drop out and connection issues, but I’ve not had any problems with my newer devices.
I’m not pretending they are audiophile quality but neither is 3.5mm audio in a phone - they just don’t have good quality DACs in phones. Bluetooth is finally a decent and convenient step up for me for day-to-day use and I’m finally not as bothered about losing my 3.5mm port. It’s also worth noting that if you want better audio, you can get bluetooth DACs and plug wired audio into those for an even better experience - I’m tempted but it’s expensive and I’m not sure I’d appreciate the benefit enough to make it worthwhile for me.
I initially held on to the headphone jack but nowadays I’ve completely stopped caring. My Galaxy Buds 2 Pros are pretty dang good even by audiophile standards and the convenience of TWS is quite nice. For my wired IEMs the 9$ Apple dongle works just fine with my Galaxy S24+. Nowadays some IEMS also have USB-C version and I suspect that this trend will continue. Like it or not that jack will eventually become a thing of the past on the vast majority of consumer electronics, not just on phones.
Regarding your sister’s issue: that happened to me less when I paid a little more for a quality adapter. I think I got a two pack for $15 and the cord has some rubber protection where the wire turns into USB C and where it turns into a headphone jack. Haven’t had the same issue your sister is having ever since.
You can’t get a good quality DAC for $15. Lol
That’s because those adapters aren’t DACs, they’re straight electrical passthrough adapters.
I’ve got an actual USB DAC, a relatively cheap one, and it was still close to $50.
Edit: Doubled the price in my memory.
Also cheap phones have really bad USB C ports that are super loose. With my pixel or iPhone? Almost no issues with connections. But my moto phones? Well there’s a reason why they’re so cheap.
Thanks, do you still have the references of those?
Cheaper than I thought:
Those are the ones I’ve been using for 6 months or more with no issues.
Flagship phones are crap IMO, my personal hatred for glass as a material used unnecessarily for the back is immense.
Glass sucks in every aspect, it’s slippery, it’s heavier, it’s a finger print magnet, and it’s fragile in a place where you can choose synthetics that are better in every way.
Losing the jack and SD cards suck too, and preventing replaceable batteries is so bad, it’s actually illegal in EU from 2027. I have no idea why that couldn’t have been sooner.The rules will come into force in 2027.
I’m so sick of this, that I’ve decided NO WAY I’m buying a flagship next time, despite I absolutely love features like an amazing camera and screen.
But they can piss right off with their bullshit, pardon my French.
I bet a manufacturer could get sales advertising that it’s NOT a glass back, and that it HAS mini-jack.
But I also miss the notification LED, how did they figure it was a good idea to remove that too???The weird thing is they ALL do this shit? Where’s the competition on maintaining well established functions? A mini jack doesn’t prevent use of wireless earphones, but lack of it absolutely prevents the use of wired ones.
There are some manufacturers that have kept these features and it’s definitely a selling point. The one I know is Sony but I think there was another one. I’m still sad they removed the notification led though, it seemed like they would keep it as they also kept the top bezel.
Sony
Their phones look nice but the pricetag is very hefty.
Yeah sadly. They’re still good phones just not very value for money.
A used flagship is a great phone (except for the glass nonsense, give me all plastic please). It’s all I buy, 2 or 3 year old flagship for 1/4 the price of new.
I just upgraded from a 2017 flagship to a Pixel 5, for $120!
Pixel 5
I just checked, ironically no headphone jack
They probably meant the 5a which was the last Pixel with a jack. I am still holding onto my 4a as I haven’t found a replacement that can support the ROM I use.
I am about to switch to a pixel 7a from a 3a and am facing this issue. My wired ear buds date to some type of sandisk mp3 player I bought about 15 years ago and are pretty rough, so I have been looking at my wired options. Thanks for this post!
The g84 is a great mid range phone with all the things that a phone should have, except for a decent camera.
Being Motorola it has a couple of idiotic quirks that will never get fixed
-
kills Facebook messenger in the background no matter what your do.
-
on some but not all Australian 5g networks, the camera closes after a few seconds and is unusable unless you switch to 4g etc.
I can live with those given the rest of the stuff is great for the price point.
Rarely use headphones so can’t comment much on that side. FM radio seems to manage without.
Yes, the camera is the one thing that it could do better.
on some but not all Australian 5g networks, the camera closes after a few seconds and is unusable unless you switch to 4g etc.
The what? How?
Seems wild indeed
It’s a Motorola thing :)
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorola/comments/1g5ie7c/camera_freezing_hanging_in_moto_g84_5g/ for example.
Mine is fine in Armidale 5G but fails in Parkes 5G for example.
-
Headphone jack and removable battery are the two features I will not compromise on. Makes selecting a new phone pretty damn easy. I would have loved a fairphone but sorry, no exceptions.
Add ip rated and removable storage and you have my list. I have had to compromise on the removable battery on the last few phones though.
My device has both - on top of headphone jack and removable battery.
What is your current phone?
XCover 6 pro
Seems like a nice device, it was on my list for a while, but a bit too chunky
Sony XPeria still has jacks
At some point, you’re just not going to have a phone at all then, the way things are going.
The way things are going? EU just recently mandated that in the future batteries must be able to be replaced by the end user. There’s likely going to be more devices like this soon, not less.
Yeah, sure, but I don’t recall hearing the EU mandate headphone jacks. And I doubt we will, considering they’re tech that’s decades old, and less 3.5mm wired headphones are being sold each year. The EU is mandating things everyone wants in their phones, and most people want wireless. Now I know there’s a segment of the population that would violently protest that such a thing could even be possible, but digging your heels in and trying to stop the march of time has never, in all of history, worked out for anyone.
Well obviously if there was literally not a single new device matching the criteria available, then I would need to compromise on the headphone jack but if there is even a single device that still has it along with the other features then that’s what I’d get.
I did the exact same thing with my previous device, LG V20. I used it closer to seven years while waiting for someone to release a new model with a headphone jack and a removable battery. Then Samsung released such device and that’s the one I got.
If the EU law meets your expectations maybe the Xperia might fit your bill by then?
Well, for your sake, I hope they continue to make phones that meet your standards. Or that you find an alternative that suits you.
I actually quite like the Bluetooth DAC I got because of the disappearance of my headphone jack. It breaks that physical attachment of my headphones to my phone while giving very good quality audio.
I’d recommend checking out the Fiio BTR line if interested.
Thanks!
About 4years ago, I decided to get a phone that I could modify (custom rom, root and such) and that had a proper camera. So I got a xiaomi mi 10, which has no audio jack (or even sd card reader…)
The default adapter lasted about 3years (I dont use wired earphones that often) and I decided to get a “proper” one from a ugreen brand (I found reviews that their previous model was bad and they had released a new better one) (it’s this one
UGreen AV161). It seems sturdy (it has that fiberglass sleeve too), hoping it will last.It’s indeed bad that they dont put a headphone jack and I find it sad that fairphone dropped it too, cuz I’m thinking of buying a phone from them in the future. Not only it reduces the phone’s usability, but also indirectly forces you to buy wireless earphones. On top of that, using wired earphones puts extra wear on the single usb port (which I dont know how easy it is to replace it, I’ve only replaced a micro-usb port).
I dont exactly know where I’m going with this comment, but ok😅
Thanks for sharing the reference to that seemingly sturdy adapter, I’ll share it with my sister if she wants to give it a try.
I edited it to include the model I got.😄 So far it works, not sure how it will be performing in 4year.
The extra wear on usb-c port is definitely still an issue as I have had that be the reason for needing to replace my wife’s phone twice now. It was worse with micro-usb in my experience, but it stopped me from making use of my usb-c dongles. BTW, if you’re using usb-c DACs, most kinda suck. Weirdly, I found the one from Google actually had the best sound, but if you haven’t had an issue thus far then don’t sweat it.
It was worse with micro-usb in my experience
Indeed, I had to replace the micro usb port in about 4 years (and it was already mulfunctioning probably for years), while the type c port still works almost flawlessly.
About the dac, even though I dont think I can detect the difference, I remember seeing comments that the previous model of my adaptor had a bad dac (or it didnt even have one??), but they seemingly fixed it ij the new model.
(PS. I download flac songs, but I dont think I can tell the difference between a proper lossless flac and a 64kbps opus, lol. It might be bad equipment, it might be my hearing, it might be that I tend to listen at low volumes, a combo of all the above or something.)
It had to have a DAC if it was converting the bluetooth digital signal, but it could have been either a bad DAC or just poorly implemented DAC chip. I’ve seen it in a lot of these types of devices (Fiio, I am looking at you). It’s not like the chips are that expensive in comparison to the final price of the device.
Oh oops, I was talking about a type c to audio jack adaptor
indirectly forces you to buy wireless earphones
USB-C wired headphones exist
edit: lol, replied too quickly. You mention wired headphones in the next sentence.
