Counterclockwise: extinct cable connectors for mobile phones

04 November 2018
Who here remembers Nokia's Pop-Port? USB killed it and others, but its own future is not secure.

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  • N
  • Nzi97
  • tu6
  • 07 Nov 2018

Anonymous, 05 Nov 2018Doesnt matter how fast a cabled connection is, for example ... moreWell, that is a complete dream of big company, no wired mean auto obsolescence
And wired is still the way to go, if you arguing the future is about wireless, you're ade wrong.
Future of smartphone is where wire and wireless work in conjunction with each other

And let me highlight your flaw in defending wireless
Bluetooth audio is just 'good enough', it won't replace wired, it's not just about "wired is better", it's also about cost-to-performance ratio, a good wireless earbud/eaephone is costly, and the cheper one have low endurance and the sound produced is bad, while the same priced earbud will sound miles better
Wireless charging won't overtake wired, nor will they be fast enough to replace it, it because it mainly not design to, wireless charging produce heat because of inefficiency, more wattage won't make the charge quicker(if it that easy, company will done so), it just make the charging more inefficienct due to heat
And wifi won't replace wired file transfer, since if everyone using wifi for file transfer, the amount of interference would slow it down, not to mention kill the ever shrinking phone battery, there's reason why no headphone use wifi for audio playback and relies on Bluetooth despite larger bandwidth, because it not design to

Wire in smartphone will continue to live, since a step up in wireless technology also mean a huge leap in wire technoly, just take how USB C has gone and what Thurdebolt can do

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • pj8
    • 05 Nov 2018

    Doesnt matter how fast a cabled connection is, for example for internet the bottleneck is not the in-house wifi unless you have a PRIVATE unshared fiber connection (which is found almost only in scandinavia).
    Charging is also irrelevant, fast QI chargers will be cheap long before Apple removes the charger ports, you will find fast wireless chargers in the squatter areas of manila.

    As for those who say they can tell the difference between cabled and uncabled audio... The same guys also claim they dont need to take a blind test, to sum it up those people are full of something (and it aint good ears).

    There are no good reasons to stay with cables. A few minor problems persists, for example im not really happy with how long it takes to copy 4GB music to an Apple Watch, on the other hand its something that is usually done overnight and only once a year. As for wireless audio im satisfied with both my high end Sony headphones with ANR and the Apple Airpods. If in doubt think about it this way: Wireless music is quite good even in its traditional form called FM radio and bluetooth is OBVIOUSLY alot better than FM. Do you cry over the bad audio when listening to radio? If no you can rest assured that wireless headsets will be great for you.

      • H
      • HgA
      • Kvp
      • 05 Nov 2018

      The Apple 30 pin connector was one of the ugliest connectors of all time.

        xXENDER FREAKXx, 05 Nov 2018To be honest regarding the push towards wireless technology... moreYes, it's called high bitrate wireless Audio, aptx hd Bluetooth 5 and ldac are the 3 standards which enables audio quality on par with physical cable, but the problem is that a bit of a format war, Bluetooth 5 is largely supported by everyone, but it's a new Format, very few receivers or headphones support it,, ldac has the highest bitrate at 990kbps, and aptx hd has limited supprt as it's Qualcomm technology, not every phone uses Qualcomm system on a chip,

          • r
          • regs
          • 0V8
          • 05 Nov 2018

          SE connector?

            • S
            • Subrata
            • xkB
            • 05 Nov 2018

            Bluetooth audio is a long way from being matured wireless charging is slow and require expensive charging pad . I think the push to omit cables is in right direction . Not if fur future we will be able to have first wireless charging on every device and very strong connection. Just looking back around 5-6 years back wireless was a pipe dream now it's a reality. Stop holding on to old ports wireless if future but currently not up to the mark.In 2 -4 years wireless charging and headphones going to boom and the truth is wireless devices have much common and universal standards as they are now worked upon and designed with ease of use in mind.

              • S
              • Simon
              • 7AH
              • 05 Nov 2018

              "PS. We wish we could include microUSB on the list of dead ports, but it's very much alive despite years of USB-C being the port of choice." Why would you wish for this?
              Sure, Type C is reversible, but MicroUSB was much clearer in the way it operated and came with fewer safety hazards. It was a very uneducated statement. MicroUSB, as of now, is the superior technology for accessories. Not only is it simpler with defined (and obvious) relationships between the devices, but also comes with mostly passive cabling that is not capable of being overloaded (or causing damage to devices) by use cases that are not supported by the devices or cables.

                • L
                • L337
                • LcH
                • 05 Nov 2018

                Cables will always be more reliable, and faster.
                I'd rather have a phone with all the currently used ports, than a metal block that uses slow and potentially unreliable connections.

                  To be honest regarding the push towards wireless technology, be it Wireless Fidelity, BlueTooth Audio, Qi Wireless Charging etc, I really hope that there isn't a brand who will remove this one important port that is used for charging (looking at u Apple) and cause an "earthquake" to the smartphone world once again. Because it's basically faster and more efficient, though with the expense of having unorganized cables occupying space. Same can be said to the constantly dying 3.5mm headphone jack, while BlueTooth Audio can help in giving the user a cable-free experience, it doesn't mean that the audio quality is as good as what u get on wired. In my opinion, just keep it the way it is, even if u don't use the 3.5mm headphone jack, it's better than not having one. I'm waiting for someone to create a hybrid out of it, like for example the 3.5mm headphone jack, eliminating the use of wires but still maintain the audio quality of what u get in wired, that'll be cool

                    Usage matters. i have K700i in '05 and C902 in '08 and the cable are still healthy until i lost them (the cables).

                    Also the thing i like about SE's live ports is about the way to disconnect them by "breaking" it, not by pulling it like any cable.

                      • G
                      • GrainySnapshot
                      • XNm
                      • 05 Nov 2018

                      What about HDMI? Sure, it is not generally dead but it is dead for mobile phones. I loved the mini HDMI on my Nokia N8.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-558092
                        • 45}
                        • 05 Nov 2018

                        naap51d, 05 Nov 2018I always thought it was ironic, that the term "universal" w... moreUSB stands for Universal Serial Bus. The only thing universal is the protocol. A USB device can talk to another USB device without proprietary drivers or adapters and such. But for specific stuff you still need drivers. The port can be of any shape you want (even the shape of your face if that's what you want), the protocol still remains universal and data flows without a hitch.

                        See it like a language. USB is a universal language like English. And the ports are your communication method. It's not because your message is written on a sheet of paper or spoken orally that it differs. In the end both work exactly the same way even though they seem different. Sometimes you need additional info such as specific jargon like abbreviations (see it like drivers).

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • tRf
                          • 05 Nov 2018

                          MdN8, 04 Nov 2018It was awesome when I got a Motorola flip phone with miniUS... moreI remembered those era where Motorola dared to experiment with USB port types...

                          Unfortunately, Motorola was too expensive from where I'm at but I got the chance to go all out with Sony Ericsson, which eventually became just Sony...

                          Wasn't a fan of Samsung from those time till now, they created a whole messy lineup of models... iPhones are hell lot popular here but they don't catch my attention since I've got the chance to use and own several Sharp Aquos phones, which were ahead of its time but eventually collapsed in late 2015... Thank goodness the Chinese came in full force with Huawei Oppo Vivo XiaoMi appearing in the scene, they really stir things up...

                          My first phone was a Sony Ericsson, followed by Sony and Sharp, then eventually I hop onto the Chinese brands bandwagon... I don't change phones often, but at the same neither of the models I purchased are high end, I'm always going for the lower spectrum models cause from there I get to see what's in store for the lower income and who's sincere in providing a reasonable product... Poor update support is the down side hence money is burnt to get a newer model of the same category...

                          Never owned a Nokia, Samsung or iPhone since the day I am able to buy a phone...

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • tRf
                            • 05 Nov 2018

                            Anonymous, 04 Nov 2018Tell this to Vivo and Oppo, both love micro USB.. Even ... moreNothing to be shameful about, they mastered a way to allow 4A of current to flow for ultra fast charging, hence microUSB will be around to stay for a while...

                            Some, or many should I say, USB-C can only do so much till 3A, so perhaps this is to blame for the reason behind why many phones still uses microUSB...

                            Enjoy your 'fast' 3A charging...

                              I always thought it was ironic, that the term "universal" was thrown about to a port, that has 5,304 different versions. (sarcasm).
                              Everything needs to be a "USB-C" style port. Hate mini-usb because half the time you try to jam it in upside down.

                                The first ones to remove all ports could very well be a Chinese brand, just for the sake of it. I mean Apple only has a limited number of releases per year, and if they don't feel technology is close to be mature, they wont take the leap with any of those devices.
                                But if Apple doesn't do it, I don't think all of the other top brands will do it either.
                                I wonder if we can expect Apple to be first, introducing some kind of special protocol that requires Apple licensed or Apple made dongles for full functionality.

                                But as long as products can't charge over air, there will still be cables involved. And probably a lot of chargers, to be able to charge all devices. Or very large charging surfaces.
                                And then it actually would just have been simpler to keep the connector, and have quicker charging speeds. And almost always somehow access to a charger, no matter it if is the headphones or phone that is out of charge.
                                Watches annoyingly typically uses special charging adapters...

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • nDi
                                  • 04 Nov 2018

                                  I remember having an external camera with a poptart connector for my Nokia 5100 as a teenager. Good times.

                                    Phone without any hw buttons and wired connectors may be not so far, it helps sales and makes phone more durable at once. Actually it could be done with todays tech. All tech that lag behind could connect to it with usage of external cover with a connector just in the case. Well, it will be most likely Apple, cannot imagine someone else do that.

                                      • B
                                      • Ben
                                      • vGk
                                      • 04 Nov 2018

                                      What is the difference between USB 2.0, USB 3.1 and USB Thunderbolt?. Someone pls explain

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • Js{
                                        • 04 Nov 2018

                                        Arvind7955, 04 Nov 2018Its a shame that microUSB is still alive. Tell this to Vivo and Oppo, both love micro USB.. Even on phones with SD660