Sunday debate: Is removing the headphone jack the way forward?

21 January 2018
In this installment of our Sunday debate, we discuss whether removing the headphone jack is the way forward.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • nCe
  • 21 Jan 2018


Removing the headphone jack is the way backward. Confirmed.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • 0BG
    • 21 Jan 2018

    Anonymous, 21 Jan 2018So indecent to use the usb c instead of 3.5mm... Stupid mad... moreThat's as much of a "solution" as using a power bank because of the pathetic batteries, if not worse.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • LkA
      • 21 Jan 2018

      Slayer, 21 Jan 2018Yordan, the first OEM to ditch the 3.5mm jack was Lenovo wi... moreThere was one phone before Moto Z.
      Vivo maybe...

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • a0A
        • 21 Jan 2018

        Its simple kiddos, combining ports into just one may sound advanced tech and bring simplicity. Butt, and yes I say butt, more ports give better flexibility. That being said, the US Congress is not happy with the size of the 3.5mm anchor jack. (it is the single most space inefficient item) Yet, they are unwilling or too lazy to reinvent the port standard, since it is ancient tech. Thus get used to using your bt earphones while its charging. Tata

          Anonymous, 21 Jan 2018My Z3+ is 6.9mm, IP68 , bigger battery than iphone 8+Precisely, smartphones with 3.5mm headphone jack still can be thinner than the ones without the 3.5mm headphone jack, and that's a #FACT

            Anonymous, 21 Jan 2018They then proceed to complement that thinnest choice with a... moreNo they don't. The thinner devices with ditched 3.5 mm ports still have fast charging and low power draws, making the need for external power solutions and extra dongles essentially non-existent.

            Besides, so far only flagships are affected. And flagship owners usually spend a little extra money for convenience, as in buying proper Bluetooth headphones or qualitative USB-C headphones. Or the neat combination of Bluetooth headphones that can have a USB-C cable connected to them for continued listening.

              i really don't understand the point of view who still wants 3.5"mm jack.
              first, if you love music, you should embrace usb-c sound (go to google type usb-c vs jack 3.5 not a tard opinion of a person who really dont have a clue what hes talking about)
              ofc, with new technology there always people that will be against it. like when computers appear...they said they are going to steal all jobs...or tv would finish radio etc....
              second, if you don't love music and just want to play music on your 5$ earpads, you are already in that boat since usb-c music devices are all almost all premium.
              third, if you want the "liberty" of chose what earpads you want...thats one more reason to embrace usb-c. more people, companies will make more devices, more devices to chose from.
              get over it. i did.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • 6jq
                • 21 Jan 2018

                Anonymous, 21 Jan 2018Yep, like i said in my post above, there is no lack of spac... moreSo indecent to use the usb c instead of 3.5mm... Stupid madeup problem that people waste up too much breath on.

                I saw none of you to be as forceful when charging time went up by 9000% and phone capacities nasically went down by 40% (removal of the removable battery). That one got us a solid decade back and we won't recover for a long time, yet nowhere near the outrage as it exists for the freaking 3.5mm that can be solved by buying a freaking adapter...

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • tNw
                  • 21 Jan 2018

                  FinnishInquisition, 21 Jan 2018Really? Would you care to mention all of these ~7 mm thin, ... moreThey then proceed to complement that thinnest choice with a thicker power bank and an extra dongle should they want to keep their old but still functional headphones and use the powerbank at the same time.

                  Progress.

                    • S
                    • Slayer
                    • nFT
                    • 21 Jan 2018

                    Yordan, the first OEM to ditch the 3.5mm jack was Lenovo with the Moto Z, not Apple, HTC or Google.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • tNw
                      • 21 Jan 2018

                      Wow, extra 100maH and 0.000001mm less bezel/thickness.

                      So courageous.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 6jq
                        • 21 Jan 2018

                        Yes! It's an unneded redundancy now that most phones have a usb c port.

                        Ideally all ports would dissappear in the future. That is one move closer to said future.

                          Anonymous, 21 Jan 2018Nope that's just a lie. There's plenty of thin and compact ... moreReally? Would you care to mention all of these ~7 mm thin, waterproofed phones with batteries the size of iPhones? I'll give you a hint: there's not a lot to choose from, and they typically start with "i".

                          People who go into stores pick the thinnest, best looking devices. There's been plenty of market research done on this. A phone is a fashion accessory to most. Just because a few want a rugged device doesn't change that.

                            • N
                            • Nokia super fan
                            • uQ5
                            • 21 Jan 2018

                            mir, 21 Jan 2018Ironic thing is that the 7 and 8 are already a bit thicker ... moreWhat a logistic answer!!! Apple must have put a fake motherboard inside it thinking that they do really lack of space for headphone jack. I don't know, next open up you IPHONE and take a look inside it.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 3Jn
                              • 21 Jan 2018

                              For Apple? Yes. For Android? No.

                                • A
                                • AngryLithuanian
                                • nI5
                                • 21 Jan 2018

                                USB Type-C everything with fast charging as standard FIRST and only then remove aging features that are still useful and convenient.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 0BG
                                  • 21 Jan 2018

                                  FinnishInquisition, 21 Jan 2018No. But YOU seemed to claim that when you stated a random p... moreNope that's just a lie. There's plenty of thin and compact phones with 3.5mm jack and all of them's battery is at least the size of the iPhone's.

                                  And ot's pure myth that people would't buy a 0.1-0.2mm thicker phone. Nobody choses his phone by thickness. When you go to the store, the specifications never mention thickness. Because nobody cares unless it's something extreme and obvious. But even then, american carrier still sell Galaxy s active. Yea such a phone is not for everyone, so what? It has its fans, so there must be phones for more than one type of users. Why should everything be fashionphones?

                                    Anonymous, 21 Jan 2018Also depends on other inner parts. Every year the CPUs ar... more[CITATION NEEDED]

                                    Also, removing the 3.5 mm port doesn't bring more money to the smartphone manufacturers. They include a 3.5 mm DAC so you can keep using your old audio equipment. And if you want new headphones, you buy that from audio companies, not smartphone manufacturers.

                                    Apple of course being different, with their proprietary Lightning licensing fees.

                                      Sony Xperia Fan, 21 Jan 2018Basically you also said every smartphone manufacturer has f... moreNo. But YOU seemed to claim that when you stated a random phone has a large battery.

                                      That you own devices that are much bigger than what the average consumer would want for a smartphone is irrelevant. You could just as well point out how many ports a TV has, and how big of a battery it could fit. We're talking about consumer-appealing devices here, where design and portability is key. If you want small, thin devices you need to ditch irrelevant components. Such as the 3.5 mm port, as you already have a headphone jack as USB-C or Lightning.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • LkA
                                        • 21 Jan 2018

                                        FinnishInquisition, 21 Jan 2018And there are smartphones with 10 000 mAh batteries. So Hua... moreAlso depends on other inner parts.
                                        Every year the CPUs are getting smaller.
                                        Newer oled are thinner than 5 years ago.
                                        Newer lcd are thinner than 5 years ago.


                                        Apple increased battery a bit in 2016 and 2017 because they wanted too.

                                        The dimensions of 7+ are enough to fit 3300mAh without making it thicker. They just dont want too.
                                        All about profits...

                                        Usb/lightning earphones bring more money to manufacturers.