[General question to the Android community] Have you given up on the audio jack, or do you still only buy devices that have it?
[General question to the Android community] Have you given up on the audio jack, or do you still only buy devices that have it?
(Posting this here rather than !askandroid@lemdro.id as it's a quite general question)
I had a look at the GSM Arena phone finder, and it the choice is getting smaller and smaller every year (only 43 phones from 2023, reviewed by the site, had a jack)
The remaining ones are mostly
- Xiaomi Redmi
- Zenfones
- Sony
- Samsung entry range
So, has everyone switched to Bluetooth / USB-C dongles, or are there still a few people holding to the jack until the very end?
I'll die alone on this headphone jack hill if I need to, I only buy phones with headphone jacks.
Currently using a Motorola of some sort, replacement for another Motorola.
Only With the 3.5 mm audio jack. Bluetooth devices always have some delay, never are immune from connection problems or intermittent readback (especially if you have other devices you switch between), and don't last as long as they advertise. The delay thing is particularly irksome on the phone and watching videos. Much less important for music, but I'm not the kinda guy who plays music a lot. The battery thing is probably less of an issue these days, and could maybe be discarded, but I also forget to charge important devices, so that's a me thing and party of the reason.
Likely sound like cranky old man but I'll be catching phones with a jack as long as I can! Not mad about having the option for wireless, but I'm a bit of a purist.
Plus once in a blue moon I'll DJ without Wi-Fi and use the phone to pull up a tune I don't have in my physical storage. Much harder to do that without 3.5mm jack.
I used to hate Bluetooth, but that's because the early versions were terrible. Painful to connect, frequent drops and disconnects, and very short range and easy to block the signal.
Since Bluetooth 4 it's been great, and rock solid with Bluetooth 5. The only time I've had a problem is when I went into the other room and stood directly in front of a running microwave. I lost about half the signal until I took a step back.
Wireless headphones are far more convenient. Phone in my pocket, and I can walk around, clean the house, or work out at the gym, completely untethered.
I seek out phones with audio jacks. My current Moto G Power 2020 has one and I use it all the time. No dongles or adapters in the car or on various headphones. Plus I actually use the FM Radio built into the phone and that uses the wire for the headphones as an antenna. I just cut off some old earbuds and plug that in, then direct the audio to either the phone speaker itself or BT.
I exclusively use phones with a 3.5mm jack. Currently on a Sony Xperia 1 IV. That said, I also use bluetooth IEMs sometimes and I like having the option of switching between wired/wireless when convenient.
I'm fine with Bluetooth. My earbuds and speakers all have Bluetooth nowadays.
I'll only buy a phone with an audio jack and usbc port.
I think of my phone like a swiss army knife, it's a multi tool that I carry with me at all times and can be used for many different things. I like using wireless headphones and I usually connect via bluetooth but on the occasion that I need to plug a headset into my phone I am able to quickly and easily do that with no extra thought.
Why would I buy a new phone that has less features than my current phone?
@Blaze I'm not buying phones that often, but I recently changed to a Nokia G22 (yes, they also have phones with jack), and one of the things that made me decide on that was the jack as well. I got a pair of wireless headsets from work and I can say they're pretty good, but I am still not over the thought that I have one more thing to charge its battery every once in a while. Wired headphones are pretty much okay and I don't see any problem with them that would make me switch (at least right now).
Edit: I almost forgot. I also listen to the (FM) Radio, so I need the wired headsets to be used as an antenna.
i avoid anything wireless like the plague short of wifi. pairing is always a miserable process, and by the time everything is connected, the batteries are dead. it drives me absolutely bonkers. thankfully many motorolla phones still have 3.5mm jacks . i think my current model is the motorolla 5g stylus
I bought a Sony Xperia 10iii back in December 2022 for the headphone jack, SD card slot and IP rating. Plus it's Sony and one of my all time best phones was my Xperia Z2.
When it comes time to replace it I will first look to see which phone offers a jack. I use it several times a week.
However the downside is that the only premium phones with it are Sony but very expensive. I can't afford a 5v when though I'd love it.
If you get a midrange phone you always lose out on a great camera. Which is crappy. So you have to choose between headphone jack with poor cameras Vs no headphone jack with good cameras.
Or somehow get enough money together to buy an Xperia 5v.
Ps don't bother with ZenFone. Asus is known for poor quality and very, very bad support
I'm still using it. I've got nice headphones and speakers that run off of a cable and no interest in top-end phones, so it makes sense to get a phone that fits the more expensive audio stuff rather than a bunch of adapters. Nokia's cheaper smartphones have served me quite nicely
I specifically bought a Pixel 5a because it was the last Pixel with a headphone jack. Then after a year, it died on me, and they sent me a 6a as a replacement.
I miss the jack. A lot. But it's hard to justify buying a whole new phone for one. Once this one dies, I don't know what I'll do.
I wouldnt buy a phone without it. Currently on Pocophone M5, happy user
I was already using bluetooth headsets when they removed it so really didn't care.
I gave up on it fairy easily, because after it was forced on us, the market also responded by flooding with cheap and decent options for headphones, which I started trying out and slowly I stopped using a wire with my phone.
I still think bluetooth is not great, with a lot of weird connection issues even on expensive devices, which was never a problem with a wire, but I do enjoy the freedom it offers.
as much as i like having a jack, i more value running grapheneos on a supported device :/
I have been pretty much exclusively using Bluetooth headsets for almost ten years and got my first phone without a jack this year. Sometimes you want to plug into someone's car or home stereo and can't, that's annoying. But other aspects are far more important in my buying decision.
Am using a Zenfone 8 with a jack. As for future upgrade, still unsure. My top priority would be the size - has to be the same or preferably smaller than the Zenfone, so that limits my potential options.
I was travelling recently and was fortunate to be able to watch a F1 race. The track had a FM broadcast of the commentary in English, and my Zenfone 8 with the built in FM tuner made itself very useful indeed, since the FM tuner only works with wired earphones.
I honestly stopped caring a long time ago. I've been using bluetooth headphones exclusively since before the jacks started going away, and I'm just not bothered by it.
It would have been nice for them to stick around, but it's not really a hill I'm willing to die on.
I only buy phone with a jack although I haven't needed a new phone in a long time.
I've given up but I do wish there were better USB-C audio solutions. Android has always been lacking in the USB audio department and I have often been left feeling defeated when a car or other stereo system has USB audio input that only works with iPod/iPhone. It's just sad that even now with USB-C, audio output with Android is still so finicky.
Still on 3.5mm Jack. I have a poco x3 NFC. And would buy again a phone with a jack but...
No i don't use it much, maybe once in a while when I need headphones while my BT tw are charging or I forgot them home.
To be honest wired headphones are unpractical and messy and I always tend to tear them out of my hears. Usually only use them at my desk with my laptop while phone on bt headset.
So to be honest, jack is something I could do without but that would still be an inconvenience for the limited cases I would need.
So probably I would buy a phone without one... Granted I would always prefer one with the jack at same price/hardware point.
I buy mid-range devices, so while I haven't gone out of my way to get a device with a jack, my current device still has one, and it is the OnePlus Nord N200 5G, but if I did not have it, I would not be upset about it.
Didn't bother me when Samsung went to usbc only becuase now I use my DAC all the time for my wired headphones and haven't looked back (audioquest dragonfly and shure se425). No longer as big of a deal as I originally believed it would be, in fact I use the DAC more often now than I did when it was mostly in my laptop.
I always hated the noise you got from wired headphones every time you moved, so I was very happy as soon as wireless headphones stopped being terrible. Now I only use wireless so I really don't need a 3.5mm slot, and I can use an adapter on the off chance I do. Also I use GrapheneOS so it's not like I really have a choice!
The only thing that keeps me motivated to use the audio jack is because my old car still has an old stereo and I use it daily, and I am too lazy to use dongles lol.
As a matter of fact here is a pic of a disc that my girlfriend bought recently because it was on discount, and we tried it in the car for the first time ever! (We also don't usually buy discs, this would be the first time in more than a decade).
My car only works with an aux cord so at least until I get a new car I'm sticking to phones with one. I'm not buying a dongle. They can go fuck themselves.
Still holding onto the audio jack. My last few phones are the HTC 10 (2016), Galaxy S10e (2019) and Xperia 1 V (got it last year). I commute to work daily and my car has an audio jack, CD player, and PC card slot for playing audio. I'm avoiding adapters for multiple reasons - others here mentioning static, and annoyance/inconvenience (want to be able to charge my phone when needed without more dongles). I held off on giving up a physical keyboard and getting a larger phone but eventually gave in on those. Also not giving up the microSD slot.
I haven't bought a new phone since I got my LG V20. Lack of headphone jack is among many reasons. There's nothing on the market that has all the features it does or even new features that make up for what I would be giving up if I got a new phone. I fear the day when I'm forced to get a new phone because it gets too out dated for my work apps.
I'm still on my zenfone 6, and my next will be something sony. I don't really want a low-mid end phone but if the xperia 10 is the best I can get then that's what I'll get.
I'm lucky to be in Asia since I can easily use redmi phones here (doesn't work well with USA carriers). 3.5mm is still really useful for me, but if there's no more options I'll probably get a 3.5mm to BT adapter.
I use wired in-ear headphones while cycling for convenience of not needing to charge so they are always ready to go when I go for a ride. Also I wear my phone in the back pocket of my jersey, so its an extra string holding my device in case it would fall out (never happened, but just in case). I use some half-decent BT headphones for media consumption when home.
I tried to hold out, but for my current phone I prioritized camera quality over headphone jack. I definitely use the cameras more than the headphones.
With that being said, those two features are essentially mutually exclusive. Good cameras are a "flagship" feature, whereas lacking headphone jacks are also a flagship "feature."
The only exception is Sony, which unfortunately is very overpriced.
I rarely used headphone jacks even when phones had them. I don't miss them.
I gave up because that is not the single most important aspect of a phone.
Still using one with a jack. Other must haves for me are sd slot and tool less sim tray.
My preference while buying phone:
- ">8GB ram"
- ">250 GB storage"
- 120Hz display
- Battery capacity ">5500mah",
- SD card option,
- Headphone jack,
- Pretty recent chip, if not the latest,
- Waterproof ip68 minimum
I don't care wheather its Chinese or Taiwanese or American or any other.
I usually debloat the device on the first day. With ADB
I've got an FM transmitter I use to listen to music in the car and it connects with a headphone jack so I still buy phones that have it. I also am fond of the physical home button so that limits my choices further. Luckily inexpensive late model Samsungs are easy enough to come by, I don't game on my phone so processing power isn't a concern.
Begrudgingly given in.
Good fully wireless ear buds are truly an amazing convenience, but I value having flexibility and redundancy in my hardware more than having a slightly sleeker form factor. Thay includes things like removable battery, SD card slot, etc. Unfortunately, the market has spoken, and keeping those features limits you to a more and more niche selection every year. By now the tradeoff just isn't worth it to me.
As far as USB dongles, I seem to have enough problems with USB-C ports becoming loose or flaky for charging that I avoid using them except when necessary. Wireless chargers abound in my house.
I'm in a mixed case, I do use bone conducting headphones that are wireless when on my bike, because ear headphones are a 100€ fine I would like to avoid. Well, also use a Cardo on my motorbike..
But on the treadmill or at home I use some good quality wired earbuds, with thick ribbon cable that doesn't tangle up. It is just confortable for me and one less thing to charge and throw away after the batt says goodbye.
The phone: Ulefone Armor 21.
I think it was probably eliminated a little too early, but I switched to a moderately cheap pair of Bluetooth earbuds while I still had a 3.5mm anyway, so I didn't really care. I don't even think I own a pair of 3.5mm headphones anymore, actually.
Its definitely a nice to have feature. It didnt get regularly used because of wireless earbuds for me, but when I NEEDED it, it was always clutch. But I just keep a USB c dongle on my corded headphones now, its fine. Gets the job done.
Also for my wired IEMs, I use a wireless Bluetooth adapter. When I'm on the move I just need some noise not audiophile quality so its fine for me.
I just got a Nothing phone 2, which doesnt have an audio jack. The only thing that's really changed for me is I had to buy an adaptor for the aux cable in my car
I have a 3.5mm jack in my phone and I haven't used it once for the past two or three years I have used this device. I switched to a pair of tws Bluetooth earbuds in 2019 (around, but definitely pre-covid) and have used the same pair since. Everyone who claims Bluetooth earphones are unrecyclable electric garbage probably have never gotten a proper pair (which doesn't have to be expensive whatsoever) or any at all
I really don't care. I use Bluetooth headphones a lot and find them convienient, and I bought adapters for the two wired jacks I might use (some fancier wired headphones and a wired input for my hi-fi). Given wires are already a bit awkward I really don't feel it makes any difference to add a little adapter to the end. I guess if I was wanting to plug my phone into lots of random headphone jacks while put and about, and didn't want to carry an adapter, it would be an annoyance but it really doesn't bother me in the slightest.
I just own an adapter that has a headphone jack port and a charging port.
I switched to Bluetooth earbuds long before phones started removing the headphone jack...
Given up, kinda. I still have my old s10, which I specifically use for workouts
I bought some USB-C dongles when I switched, but I only used them once in several years to connect my phone to a rental car which had no Bluetooth audio.
I switched. Not happy about it and will continue to consider it a factor in my next, but that will be years from now and I'm sure the list will be even smaller.
I gave up, so I bought a USB-C to Aux adapter.
I'm still using one with a jack (Asus ROG 5)
I will still look for a jack on my next phone, current Samsung has one, will likely buy another so I will probably buy top of their entry range
I don't listen to music away from my desktop very often these days, as that experience has mostly been replaced by audiobooks and podcasts. So in a purely selfish sense, the disappearance of the 3.5 mm jack doesn't really affect me. I am content with Bluetooth for the majority of my use cases. However, I am still not convinced that the 3.5 mm jack had to disappear as early as it did or that engineers and designers can't find a way to include it on a modern, high end smartphone, so in that sense its disappearance annoys me. Until recently I have also been using a variety of 2017-18 era phones, all of which have a 3.5 mm jack, and it is very satisfying to have the occasional music listening session in a cosy setting like my bed with studio headphones plugged in.
The problem I have with Bluetooth vs wired, is the same problem I have with lossy vs lossless music and low vs high bitrate video. What frustrates me is not that I can immediately discern a difference (though depending on the material and comparison, sometimes it's quite obvious) but rather that if I think I hear an imperfection my immediate thought is "would this sound better through my wired headphones?". And as soon as that thought pops into my head I find myself actively listening for further imperfections to prove my theory, instead of just relaxing and enjoying the music like I intended to. With wired headphones I know that it's very unlikely there will be any quality problems and I can just get completely immersed in the experience.
On a related note, does anyone know of cases with a headphone jack built into it? It seems like an obvious thing to make, but I've only seen them mentioned for iPhone.
Gave up, I use USB C to 3.5mm dongle
I never used the audio jack when it was on the phone. I don't use headphones with my phone. Those are for PC when playing at a LAN party.
I have been using wireless since 2022 and haven't looked back. Wires are such a mess I either used to get them tangled in stuff or my hands, they would drop out of my ears.
I currently use a Sony wh-ch510 since 2022 and it's been rock solid every day. The battery easily lasts a week for my usage. It's rated for 35hrs.
I also have a pair of lypertek z3 pureplay TWS. They are waterproof and boost 70hrs of battery life. Apart from that they also support wireless charging. The app is not the best but the sound quality is top notch.
Never returning to wires ever again. Now if you ask about sdcard slot, only if the phone supports 512gb-1TB of internal storage within a reasonable price point.
Turkish phone comparison site epey found 174
I switched to Bluetooth before the headphone jack disappeared. Bluetooth earphones stay in my ears easier without the weight of the cable constantly tugging down, and thus are more comfortable and easier to wear while moving / in non-upright positions. They also don't have the constant cable dangling noise. And they don't need the phone to provide their power which helps with battery life.
Edit: why the downvotes? I just answered the question
Given up. Bought a dongle for if I need it but mostly just Bluetooth now.
I held out for a long time but, like you said, they're gone from almost every phone now.
Zenfone seems like a mostly-good phone but you're getting 2 years of software support, max. That's a huge dealbreaker.
I gave in when I traded in my Pixel 5 for a 7 about a year ago.
