Sony on why it dropped the headphone jack: the other kids were doing it

14 March 2018
Sony designers noticed a "major market trend" and didn't want to spoil their beautiful Ambient Flow design with an extra hole.

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Nathan, 15 Mar 2018People always complaining about the head jack. Who uses tha... moreMajority still does, and if you notice only flagships have no jack. Until wireless headphones have a 1 week battery life, we wont stop complaining.

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    • Nathan
    • AGL
    • 15 Mar 2018

    People always complaining about the head jack. Who uses that anymore. Everything is mostly wireless . I wish people suck it up and move on

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      • AnonD-27663
      • tDT
      • 15 Mar 2018

      I have mdr-1000x and im fine with the absence of the jack. But their explanation is fool. Apple's explanation is better.

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        • opt
        • P@Y
        • 15 Mar 2018

        what the.,.. the trendsetter seems to be the trend follower,
        Sony Uniqueness at its best huh..

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          • pizza man
          • Yeg
          • 15 Mar 2018

          with bluetooth only support for headphones (like crapple does), i have to charge both my phone and headphones... headphones only last a couple of hours, then i have to charge them again... then i have to fight with them because i get only mono sound and not stereo... so then i have to use a dongle, which then brings me back to plugging in my headphones...

          3.5mm is the way to go.

            Anonymous, 15 Mar 2018They never want it just because wireless headphones or earp... moreIt'll depend of the demand. While an audio jack in the phone continue being a strong motive of sales, enough brands will continue using it. And those brands like now Sony trying to push people to buy new earbuds or headphones, about all wireless ones with non removable batteries that will need maintenance in the future due to its planned obsolescence plus maximize their profits using less components, those brands will hurt themselfes losing sales once customers figure what's happening. And today in the era where a majority is interconected with better knowledge will happen for sure, the false advertising each time works worse.

            You are the customer, you choose because you have the money, remember that you are always right, they are the ones that must offer you what you are looking for, not tell you what you must buy washing your brain in the shop and with advertisements. Simply not buy the product, not be a sheep of a brand, without sales, they'll recover whatever customers demmand. As usual, all depend of the money.

            Never buy a product that lack some features that you want, search better and you'll find it because there will always be a brand that will take profit of what others remove or not offer to increase their sales adding what is demanded by potential customers. And all us will end winning with brands listening more what we demand and less self interested trends that they invent to increase their profit not for our benefit. Our best weapon when they don't listen is "Not buy" because what they want is sell so, or they resign themselves and offer what customers ask or go bankrupt and close.

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              • -. -
              • IV%
              • 15 Mar 2018

              AnonD-735540, 15 Mar 2018they dont want over spoil there already spoil design langua... moreMe too, i like the flat back before
              But i start to grow fond of this one, it remine me of the xperia neo

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                • -. -
                • IV%
                • 15 Mar 2018

                eelpout, 14 Mar 2018yeah, I wonder if with 6mm edges, some of that being glass,... moreThey couldn't fit it, but they won't since, removing it is more beneficial than having it for them
                My argument is mostly about the battery, and it seem the extra thickness at centre axis on the xz2 is mainly caused by the imx400

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                  • AnonD-735540
                  • XMm
                  • 15 Mar 2018

                  they dont want over spoil there already spoil design language. the front is nice but the back is not. i love flat back design before

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                    • Anonymous
                    • 81L
                    • 15 Mar 2018

                    AnonD-743635, 15 Mar 2018You are lucky if you get USB-C in a phone that cost less th... moreThey never want it just because wireless headphones or earphones even though wire headphones vs wireless was clearly winner unlike what we've seen about notches epidemic or glass back panel! Sunset of 3.5mm jack headphones is near is here, unfortunately or fortunately

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                      • AnonD-743635
                      • Kn8
                      • 15 Mar 2018

                      EngNotMyFirstLang, 15 Mar 2018Looks like someone is about to lose his job for giving an u... moreWhat would be an appropiate answer? It can't be the truth, what kind of lie would fly? or simply having a apoplegy? or telling that your car is being stolen and running..

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                        • EngNotMyFirstLang
                        • bam
                        • 15 Mar 2018

                        Looks like someone is about to lose his job for giving an unapproved answer.

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                          • Anonymous
                          • tDP
                          • 15 Mar 2018

                          Cassy O, 14 Mar 2018"In order to create the beautiful seamless design, our desi... moreYeah, and also please remove the power button too, it's a nuisance.

                            LG and Motorola are two of my favorites. Sony was going to be Top 3 until this. I love Nokia too but is it really Nokia? Motorola might be owned by Lenovo but still function as Motorola. Both LG and Moto have moved away from certain features in their flagships. It's their budget devices that have it. Flagships are losing basic features while prices become higher for gimmicky designs.

                            Sticking to LG and Motorola. Made my $60 Moto E4 into my daily driver and other than camera, works as well as my $650 Google Pixel. Stop wasting your money on these crooks.

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                              • Anonymous
                              • tDP
                              • 15 Mar 2018

                              Positive thinking: maybe these removing 3.5mm jack trend is to be people to use less headset, in order to save hearing. Using headset still affects hearing and may degrade it, so probably with the hassles of dongles and bluetooth headphones, people may eventually just find it to be nuisance to use such things and then switch to good old speakers, thus sparing the ears and hearing. If the 3.5mm jack is removed then there should be an exchange such as stereo speakers.
                              There is also increased health risk when using headset while charging.

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                                • AnonD-82756
                                • nGD
                                • 15 Mar 2018

                                Sony is pony, won't be buying another one they have lost the plot!

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                                  • Lucy
                                  • tDT
                                  • 15 Mar 2018

                                  I am not sony fanboy anymore.

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                                    • Brembo
                                    • 5MH
                                    • 15 Mar 2018

                                    Despite of Sony`s removing the headphone jack I would still buy the product sometimes we just gonna have to learn to adapt and I do understand that taking out the 3.5mm hole is a common trend now for smartphone? As technology grows we will see stuff that can become wireless and it will carry on as years come by you cannot blame Sony for this, if the explanation does not satisfy your taste? remember they did what they believe is good even if looks, sound, feel bad. trend setter or follower we should all know that changes in technology comes every single time, all that futuristic stuff that we see in the movie sooner or later it will all become the norm in our life, soon Samsung will follow that`s for sure because new design needs to meet some "specifics" and sometimes that specifics requires taking out something from the hardware so it would be better. Yes via wireless and wired the sound production is different for me which I do listen to music almost every single day while on commute, I would rather stick to wired than wireless for the reason of better sound quality and at the same time you gonna have to have a nice piece of ear plugs or headphone to make the experience more satisfactory.

                                      Well sony is officially chicken shite.

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                                        • Zoser
                                        • mk9
                                        • 15 Mar 2018

                                        Alien , 14 Mar 2018I realize there's a lot more than just the designing part, ... moreIt would be perfect in an ideal imaginary world. Bad sadly, for example in the case of the jack, probably they are not interested in read and listen their customer because the answer is clear: "keep the audio jack". And seems that for them the profits, the promote of the consume more products and the planned obsolescence is above the customer preference and interest. This usually happen with great corporations. But at the same time we have a great weapon in our hand... the most simple one: "Not buy, not be a blind sheep of a brand".

                                        First your requirements and select the right product and not settle for anything that they offer you for being a brand or another. You are the customer, you have the money, you choose, and remember you are always right, they are the ones that must offer you what you are looking for not tell you what you must buy like the morons of the comercials try when you visit a shop and are incentived with extra money for the amount of products that they are able to sell you washing your brain.

                                        Seriously, the low sales hurt and sometimes is the only way to show them that you disagree what they are doing because they ignore you.