This is true, but for whatever reason people always overlook the fact that you can still use your wired headphones with a USB-C adapter on most modern smartphones (I believe Samsung devices need one with a DAC). And that, depending on the quality of the phone’s DAC, the wired headphones may actually sound better through a USB-C DAC than they do through the headphone jack. You can even charge your phone and listen through wired headphones at the same time using the USB-C port. Wired headphones are only incompatible with modern smartphones if you choose for that to be the case - there are plenty of ways to solve this problem without clinging to an older phone (though there is nothing wrong with that solution either).
for whatever reason people always overlook the fact that you can still use your wired headphones with a USB-C adapter
Literally no one has overlooked that. We rejected that for the same reason we rejected Apple’s USBC-only laptops; we’re not interested in the dongle life.
Don’t need a dongle life, necessarily. I have a decent pair of cans with removable cable, so I just got a cable that terminates in a lightning connector. And through magnetic wireless charging I can even charge while listening to music.
Sure, that’s not optimal, not the solution for everyone and no reason for phone manufacturers to not include headphone jacks but it does work and without dongles at that.
Oh good, so you went out and bought a completely new set of headphones that are already obsolete because the connector no longer exists? Well that sounds way better!
Yes that is true but speaking on clinging on to an older phone, a headphone jack had a superior physical hold. My phone got saved a few times because my phone was connected to my wired headphones.
These dongles that came with phones were also usually very thin. It also sticks out and made of plastic. It just adds another weak point. They somehow added a weak point to a great piece of technology… On top of that phones no longer comes with the dongles.
Also dongles aren’t sexy. It looks like a hack to make something work. Phone companies made headphones unsexy while making wireless earbuds really sexy.
Some people said that a headphone jack made dustproofing and waterproofing more difficult. Maybe but it had be done before. They also said it brings down the price of the phone to get rid of them. Weird considering the Google A series and Samsung mid range phones had it but their flagship phones didn’t.
You made a lot of great points. Thank you for those.
I actually have bluetooth earbuds either came bundled, or I was gifted them. They have come a long way. Easier to connect. Better latency and better sound quality compared to the older version of bluetooth.
I like them, I am not a complete hater but I really am annoyed that this stuff will just turn to ewaste while my headphones have lasted me decades.
I’m just an old head yelling at the clouds.
These dongles that came with phones were also usually very thin. It also sticks out and made of plastic.
I agree that many of the ones that used to come bundled with phones (they don’t even do that now) weren’t great, though you can buy some pretty good third party ones now with sturdy ends and better quality, flexible cabling in-between. They don’t have to be expensive either - I bought mine (CX-Pro CX31993) for AU$10 and it is durable and sounds good.
But yeah, I share your frustrations overall. It was an unnecessary removal of a useful feature to increase profits on already expensive devices. It’s the same with the removal of the SD card slot to sell internal/cloud storage, though thankfully that has remained on many of the less expensive phones. I am definitely not trying to defend the manufacturers here, only point out that there are solutions for those like myself who want to continue using their wired headphones with newer phones.
I am definitely not trying to defend the manufacturers here, only point out that there are solutions for those like myself who want to continue using their wired headphones with newer phones.
Understood.
I agree with you with the SD card too. That one probably annoys me more. It made everything so much more difficult. Transferring files, backups, swapping out music, seeing pictures from a camera or drone… Made the device less like a computer in everyway.
