(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?
Wont buy a smartphone without it
What do you currently use?
Samsung XCover 6 Pro. Has a removable battery aswell.
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.
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’ve had 4x as many C ports die as I have Micro USB (and I’ve used micro ports since 2009 on multiple phones, numerous headsets, speakers, and small rechargeable devices).
C ports are awful for durability, despite claims they’re better than micro.
All my micro-usb phones have the port mangled or damaged over time. I had even to replace one, once.
All my usb-c phones have had zero issues with the port itself. And that’s as well true for my kids. Once they managed to break a micro USB but they never even had a single issues in USBC.
They stand much better the forced insertion/unplugging in my experience. yMMv.
I have had similar issues with USB-C ports but avoid wireless charging as it often causes damage to the battery via excess heating (particularly if not perfectly aligned). I’d give up a 3.5mm jack for a redundant USB-C.
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
Honestly, what’s the need for the jack? I’ve got Bluetooth earbuds and charger with BT/FM in my car.
Read the comments. Plenty of good reasons to want a jack.
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 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
Lol.
BT hasn’t been that bad in years.
Rarely have problems with pairing, and have about a dozen BT devices in my house.
Batteries and power are so much better today I worry less about charging BT devices than my phone.
I consider myself an old fart, but you need to get out and do more experiences yourself.
Wireless Bluetooth headsets have been pretty nice for years. Don’t go too cheap (but even cheap ones can be good) but don’t waste too much money either on them and you will be fine.
Pairing today is smooth and easy, never had an issue in the last 5 years at very least. Battery life is pretty good, my tw buds get a week worth of charge at my usage (and I use them for daily sport training, calls and occasional video). They get charged automatically when I put them back in the box and the box itself recharge in like 30 minutes.
And you can use them one at a time, which is good to get truly unlimited “call time”. .moreover, my model can both do noise cancelation or environment sound pass-trough which is amazingly good when running on asphalt (the latter) and trying to isolate in the office (the former).
Moreover having no chord dangling getting pulled and catching around is unreliable better experience.
I had to go back to wired a few times (forgot the wireless home…) And found how much worse experience that is.
Of course, I prefer the choice and I have always purchased a phone with audio jack and will do again if at the same price/hardware level.
different strokes for different blokes i guess but i prefer to not have to charge things and not worry about pairing and that’s that
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 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’ve switched to Bluetooth for almost all audio, on desktop and mobile. I don’t own anything that’s limited by Bluetooth in terms of audio quality. I usually carry the little USB C to 3.5mm dongle with me, but I can’t remember when I last used it.
A Dutch tech website published an article about phones and headphone jacks recently. The conclusion seems to be that the expensive phones lack the headphone jack, and that’s what the media and (Dutch/Belgian) consumers are focused on. Availability brands, models and prices will vary in your region, of course, but at least here there doesn’t seem to be a lack of headphone jack phones.
In your opening post, you list three large brands already. There’s also HMD/Nokia, which also includes a headphone jack in most of their phones. You also call out the entry range Samsung phones (though I really wouldn’t call $500 phones “entry range”). It seems like you’re forgetting a third possibility: not everyone is buying flagship phones.
Thanks for the article. It still shows that medium-range Samsung such as the A34 and A54 don’t have it anymore, while the A52 and A72 still had it.
you list three large brands already
- RedMi have reliability and quality issues
- Zenfones and Sony prices are quite pricey: Zenfone 9 is 500€ on Ebay in Europe and a Sony Xperia 5 V is 700€
Indeed, some Nokia phones have jack, but the issue comes from the CPU: the G42 has a Snapdragon 480, while the X30 has a Snapdragon 695, but no headphone jack. Also, the G42 has battery issues
However, the Nokia G42 5G cannot stand out from comparable phones in any of these areas. The battery life and WLAN speed are also mediocre rather than leading.
The Nokia G21 mentioned in the article have low performance (which makes sense, it’s an entry level device): https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_g21-review-2389p4.php
entry range Samsung phones (though I really wouldn’t call $500 phones “entry range”).
The Samsung I was referring to is the A25, 200€ on Amazon, and the A09, 109€.
The 500€ you are referring too is the A55, 370€, but no headphone jack.
not everyone is buying flagship phones.
I’m not either, and that’s what I’m telling you: on top of the flagships, the medium range phones don’t have jack anymore either (as shows your article)
- Samsung A55: no jack, the A52 had (S line is the flaghip)
- Pixel: 7a: no jack, 5a had (7 is the flagship)
Having to buy the entry range device, which last longer and provide a worse experiences, probably doesn’t compensate getting a jack.
RedMi have reliability and quality issues
I’ve never heard Redmi being much worse than other brands in terms of reliability and quality. I don’t like the software, though, but luckily many of those phones are popular with the custom ROM scene.
The Samsung I was referring to is the A25, 200€ on Amazon, and the A09, 109€.
Fair enough. Still, I refuse to accept the constant upwards spiral in phone pricing, and I don’t consider €350+ phones entry level. The Pixel 7a and A55 still costs €375 for me and I refuse to pay that for a supposed entry level phone that’s already being replaced with a newer model. That’s mid-range for me.
Having to buy the entry range device, which last longer and provide a worse experiences, probably doesn’t compensate getting a jack.
I guess, but as with all things commercial, this change was market driven. I doubt it was for practical reasons, but if people would’ve bought flagships with headphone jacks during the transition, I don’t think Samsung would’ve killed them off. I think people in general prefer cheaper and easier water resistance with a slightly larger battery over a headphone jack.
The loud majority who does care can protest the change by buying from other brands that do sport headphone jacks.
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 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.
I only buy phone with a jack although I haven’t needed a new phone in a long time.
I’m fine with Bluetooth. My earbuds and speakers all have Bluetooth nowadays.
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.
