No 3.5mm headphone jack - deal breaker or not?

[torbach1]

For me, as long as these phones don't have a great DAC anyway, it doesn't matter. I do wish they shipped more phones for example, with the DAC from the LG V20, and if they did, the headphone jack would be the only way to enjoy it. Unfortunately it seems that for most users, audio quality is not a priority. The product managers at these companies who choose not to ship the DAC or to remove the headphone jack are not likely doing this in a vacuum.

 

[hgoldner#CB]

Not a deal breaker. Have had the HTC 10 and U11 for some time now and the functionality of active noise cancellation (both through the U11's handset and through JBL Aware-C earphones) more than makes up for the lack of a headphone jack. Bigger deal breakers are: (1) no removable sdcard; and (2) not working on Verizon. Incidentally, in discussing the 10 v. the U11 with prospective buyers, I mention the headphone jack, but the lack of a CDMA radio in the U11 is likely more of a big deal.

 

[undefinederror]

The headphone jack is necessary. I wouldn't buy a phone without one.

I own bluetooth headphones, and they are handy and portable. But I've always got a reliable set of normal headphones in my bag, incase the battery dies in the bluetooth.

It's also worth noting that switching your bluetooth headphones between different devices throughout the day can be tedious. With normal headphones, you just unplug it and move on.

 

[Trigati]

Not a deal breaker for me. If I use a wired headset, it's always the same one so the adapter would always be connected. No big hassle here. I'm all for ditching the headphone jack in favor of USB C.

 

[PietDaDoos]

Deal-breaker. I've got an excellent noise-cancelling headset, running off Bluetooth for up to six hours on a charge. When the battery goes, I hook up the cable. I also resort to this when I fly (a lot), as the toys have to be in flight mode.

 

[Doug Moffat]

Yes, a phone with headphones can trick your brain into thinking it is hearing good music. Listening to music is about the movement of air, specifically sound waves that move the eardrum and resonate with the body. You aren't moving a lot of air with headphones. Couple that handicap with a compressed .mp3 music file that people typically listen to on their phones and you've got compromised sound quality.

I don't usually carry my home sound system around at work.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I am honestly kind of torn. I can understand why they may want to shift to USB C, but at the same time, there hasn't been enough time nor inclination by the general consumer base to warrant such a change.

 

[Mike Dee]

I am honestly kind of torn. I can understand why they may want to shift to USB C, but at the same time, there hasn't been enough time nor inclination by the general consumer base to warrant such a change.

Exactly....and even if they wanted to make it thinner the could have gone with a subminiature adapter which would keep the audio separate from the USB.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Exactly....and even if they wanted to make it thinner the could have gone with a subminiature adapter which would keep the audio separate from the USB.

Or even refreshed the jack to a flat panel.

 

[LuxuryTouringZone]

Deal breaker! Loss of a valuable feature is not supposed to be considered good at all.

 

[Morty2264]

When I'd first heard of this trend - with Apple, and then HTC - it just seemed strange to me. Why get rid of something so useful? But now, it doesn't bother me. As long as I'd get an adapter, I'd be set. Plus, I never listen to music/watch videos while charging my phone; so this type of thing would not be an inconvenience for me. But I do see how it could be one for others. But for me personally, I am A-OK with it.

 

[emellow]

Not a deal breaker at all. I use bluetooth for almost everything, except my headphones at the gym.

 

[PowrDroid]

I don't usually carry my home sound system around at work.

Yes, well I did qualify my statement by saying, "if you're going to seriously listen to music it's got to be a home system." Do you spend significant time at work listening to music?

 

[gregmcph]

My phone is my iPod.
I could manage, I suppose, but why manage? Why use a dongle?

It matters to me.

 

[vtpmt81]

It isn't a deal breaker but there was no reason for Moto to remove the headphone jack - especially when it is included in the Z2 Play.

 

[rhapdog]

My issue would be that when I generally have time to listen to music, I'm also needing to charge my phone.

I guess there would need to be a dongle that would allow me to do that.

 

[brundmc]

Here's a story about learning to accept this new world without headphone jacks. My work gave me an iPhone 7 when they came out. The no headphone thing bothered me and it also came with tracking software so I needed my own personal phone. So I bought a moto G4. It was my media player and personal phone, great phone. Then on Swappa I saw a Moto Z cheap and I had been wanting to play with Google daydream. So I bought it. In the days waiting for it to arrive I read some reviews. I know, I should have read them first, but I was blinded of dreams of VR and more power. I realized it had no headphone jack. I was a little upset. I hadn't been paying attention to the android world very well and I didn't think android had this headphone killing thing going on. But it hasn't been that bad. I did buy a 2 pack of headphone to usb c adapters and 2 of these bluetooth to 3.5 mm adapters. So it's a problem that can be solved with money and preparedness. But I know one day I'll be burned. I'll be on an airplane and I won't have the usb c adapter and the bluetooth adapter will be dead. But I'll just solve it by playing the same thing on the iphone and the moto at the same time and holding them to opposite ears.

 

[Doug Moffat]

Yes, well I did qualify my statement by saying, "if you're going to seriously listen to music it's got to be a home system." Do you spend significant time at work listening to music?

A signicant time working out. Bluetooth headphones at work for calls.

 

[Mitalis]

This is a potential deal breaker for me. Having used the pixel for the better half a year, I've had issues with Bluetooth. Google has been notorious for having crap Bluetooth. A perfect example would be how the quality is with Google Play Music. It will consistently pop and click when listening to music. People have recommended turning off wifi to reduce interference. This is still an issue to this day despite having claimed they fixed it.

In addition while this may not be an issue to some my car Ford Sync system is notorious for crapping out and the Bluetooth feature constantly drops. The only fallback I've had in this scenario is using the headphone jack, and I thank God it's there. Some people have older cars which do not have Bluetooth, what about there people? They shouldn't have to buy all these extra accessories as a workaround for a lack of a headphone jack.

There are other phones out there which have achieved being waterproof with the headphone jack so it's certainly doable. If taking it out due to space being a premium, then perhaps they should consider making the phone a big thicker. Phones these days are too damn slim IMO and I feel like the battery capacity is suffering as a result of these designs. Make them thicker for the headphone jack and make bigger batteries!

</end rant>

 

[juststart]

It's a bummer they didn't include USB-C headphones. Would have been nice.