Samsung might remove headphone jack from future phones?

[KupKrazy]

Actually my PC Speakers are USB and where I use tablets, laptops and Surface tablets, I don't really use that jack anymore. To TV I use HDMI. Regardless I think all we care about in this discussion is the 3.5" jack on mobile devices. Moto was the first like someone said. Apple is next. It's started.

I think you meant 3.5mm jack. That's all fine for smartphones, but people keep saying it's dead when in reality - it wouldn't be by a long shot. That jack is going to be around for quite some time well after Apple decides they don't need it anymore. Btw, not all Moto phones don't have the jack, no? It's Apple trying to force feed their opinion once again. They declared it old tech, so now everyone has to agree. The iPhone has not even been around 10 years, and in less than 10 years the 3.5mm jack somehow became old tech to everyone. If it's old tech now, it was old tech when the first iPhone came around.

Anyone notice that Apple called the jack a 100-year old tech and then meanwhile replaced that area with another 100-year old tech called a speaker to make stereo speakers (which is also an innovation for Apple only when Blackberry and others implemented that well before iPhones were around? It used to be that they wanted to get rid of the jack to make the iPhone thinner but now it's so they can fit more tech. They could have fit more tech if they didn't make it so thin in the first place.

Sorry, just sick of Apple once again trying to force people to accept their ideals. ... and I am an iPhone user as well for my second line!

 

[kramer5150]

Doesn't surprise me. Just one more reason for me not to get a Samsung (shrug). Motorola was the first non-apple to do it though.

 

[Strong_Genetics]

Doesn't surprise me. Just one more reason for me not to get a Samsung (shrug). Motorola was the first non-apple to do it though.

Once other companies see its being done successfully all companies will follow suit.....And the iPhone already has record preorders... so a lot of people already committed to the change....

 

[Jay Sacks]

Problem is that bt has issues sometimes streaming music

I love my Poweramp, where I can aliust plug in my head phones and music automatically starts

Poweramp can be set to open when your Bluetooth headphones are turned on as well.

I think as the quality of Bluetooth headphones gets better along with the price of them coming down makes them more attainable, it's only a matter of time until they all do this. But I also think Apple is jumping the gun on doing this now. I just don't think the masses are ready to shell out a bunch of money for headphones that are still pricey (at least for quality ones). I think it will be a couple of years before the other makers (including Samsung) make this move. However, if Apple proves everyone wrong and the lack of a headphone jack works out for them then it's a good bet other manufacturers will rush to catch up.

There's still the dongle FireWire to 3.5 for those moments. They also provide FireWire connected headphones so all is not lost. It's a change that takes time.

 

[eyecon82]

Poweramp can be set to open when your Bluetooth headphones are turned on as well.

Yes, I know. But it is much more unreliable. (making sure your device is charged, etc)

 

[akin_t]

Sure its a good time... get rid of it and gets some space to put stereo speakers. You match an awesome screen with awesome sound. phones starting to hightlight sound. ZTE, V20, etc. Be nice to make the bottom of phone symmetrical too

If you think this is a good idea then you don't know much about audio in general. By outputting a digital signal from the USB-C/Lightning port, headphone manufacturers now have to build DACs into the head phones. Furthermore, with access to the digital signal, I bet you that headphone manufacturers will start doing inane and unwanted signal processing tricks to 'enhance' our music for us (such tricks wouldn't be feasible if they only had analog access, as they'll need to build in an ADC and a DAC into the unit, some 'gaming' headsets do this).

Pretty much my fear is that in a few years, it'll become hard to find a good set of cans that faithfully reproduce music if the whole industry ditches the 3.5mm standard.

 

[donm527]

I thought phones like ZTE Axon 7 and V20 (I think) reviewers mention high quality DAC chips used in phones giving excellent sound quality so trend would be that way. I think even in Note 7 in Exynos chip there is mention of better audio support on the processor? It's all to me and yes I am not a true audiophile... but there always has to be a start to new direction in tech and always gets better like wav files to store songs.

If you think this is a good idea then you don't know much about audio in general. By outputting a digital signal from the USB-C/Lightning port, headphone manufacturers now have to build DACs into the head phones. Furthermore, with access to the digital signal, I bet you that headphone manufacturers will start doing inane and unwanted signal processing tricks to 'enhance' our music for us (such tricks wouldn't be feasible if they only had analog access, as they'll need to build in an ADC and a DAC into the unit, some 'gaming' headsets do this).

Pretty much my fear is that in a few years, it'll become hard to find a good set of cans that faithfully reproduce music if the whole industry ditches the 3.5mm standard.

 

[Roman Akert]

The best audiophile headphones in the world are wired. Whilst aptX is not bad it's not capable of High Resolution sound. In addition, decent BT cans cost more than £200. Less than that and you usually get rubbish.

LG'S new V20 uses ESS Sabre DAC'S (9018). This is true High End stuff with the implementation and amplifier tuning done by B&O.

You really wouldn't want to compromise with BT on that device.

Even on my S7E Exynos (Wolfson co-developed chip by Lucky) I wouldn't want just a BT option. I use Sennheiser and Grado wired.

So, imho, doing away with the jack may please the masses but does little for those of us who care about sound (or don't want to spend 300 quid on a BT set) plus it makes a mockery of the DAC'S many now use capable of true High Resolution sound, 24 bit 192khz and above which can not be exploited by aptX.

 

[sydneycooper1979]

Also don't forget, that you can still listen to wired headphones. I would imagine they would include a pair of headphones with the correct connector like the lightning earbuds with the iPhone. You just can't charge and do wired headphones.

 

[kramer5150]

If you think this is a good idea then you don't know much about audio in general. By outputting a digital signal from the USB-C/Lightning port, headphone manufacturers now have to build DACs into the head phones. Furthermore, with access to the digital signal, I bet you that headphone manufacturers will start doing inane and unwanted signal processing tricks to 'enhance' our music for us (such tricks wouldn't be feasible if they only had analog access, as they'll need to build in an ADC and a DAC into the unit, some 'gaming' headsets do this).

Pretty much my fear is that in a few years, it'll become hard to find a good set of cans that faithfully reproduce music if the whole industry ditches the 3.5mm standard.

At first glance I would generally agree with these statements. If you look into it deeper though, what we are talking about here is not all that far-fetched, or technologically beyond reach. Headphone and audio accessory manufacturers like AKG and Sennheiser have the capability to make headophones with lossless audio, "BIT perfect" DAC conversion and high current/voltage amplification swing in mind. The technology in miniaturization is there. Just look at the Audioquest Dragonfly, Meridian explorer, and Chord Hugo (3 DAC/AMPs off the top of my head). But these are most likely going to be big, full sized headphones. The compact in-ear monitors are going to be the ones that suffer most... IMHO.

The BIG difference here though is USB-C (unrestricted open source) versus Apple (closed Borg ecosystem). While manufacturers will HAVE to partner with, and pay $$$ Apple for licensed Lightning compatability, here in Android world it won't cost them a dime. So USB-C headphones should be cheaper, and more readily available. It also opens up the potential for a DIY-audio solution, piggy backing an external DAC/Amp to a cell phone for desktop usage. So for us... at least there's some hope. Its the Apple users that are really hosed (and they don't even realize they are). Hopefully for them iOS 10 will not be as finicky as some of the prior versions when it comes to Lightning accessory compatibility.

 

[Mooncatt]

Its the Apple users that are really hosed (and they don't even realize they are). Hopefully for them iOS 10 will not be as finicky as some of the prior versions when it comes to Lightning accessory compatibility.

I'm not an Apple user by any stretch of the imagination, but have you not seen their accessories? There's i-stuff literally everywhere custom made for their devices. There's big money in their aftermarket products, so I seriously doubt they would have any trouble finding stuff that works

 

[Matty]

I was reading the paper today and it stated that even though Samsung is going through this recall with the note 7 they're looking towards the future, and are considering following In apple's footsteps in removing the headphone jack any thoughts?

I personally use the headphone jack on a daily basis while streaming podcasts and various series. I do this because when i use Bluetooth at the same time, my Wi-Fi speed decreases. So the removal of the jack wouldn't be the greatest but i wouldn't be up in arms about it.. and this is all so people can have clearer 128kbps songs? (I'm joking).

 

[Muhammad Nauman4]

actually i think that it is quite possible that Samsung may just remove the headphone jack for several reasons. I read an article today here

Samsung considering replacing the 3.5mm headphone jack with its own proprietary port for the Galaxy S8 ~ Tech Guide 101

which was very informative on this very topic. It seems as if Samsung is trying to take Apple down by replacing the headphone jack with one of its own proprietary ports. However if it really does that then nobody knows how the general audience would respond. i mean So many people just use normal, regular , headphones.

 

[Mooncatt]

i mean So many people just use normal, regular , headphones.

Which has been and still continues to be a decades long standard for audio interfacing with minimal signal degradation. I'm thinking if they start going this route, it won't be because the masses demanded it and that the traditional ports are obsolete. It'll be because the companies think they know what we want better than we do and try to push it down our throats. You get a couple of manufacturing giants doing it, then everyone else starts to do so too because they think they have to in order to keep up.

Conspiracy theory? Perhaps, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[calicocat2010]

Which has been and still continues to be a decades long standard for audio interfacing with minimal signal degradation. I'm thinking if they start going this route, it won't be because the masses demanded it and that the traditional ports are obsolete. It'll be because the companies think they know what we want better than we do and try to push it down our throats. You get a couple of manufacturing giants doing it, then everyone else starts to do so too because they think they have to in order to keep up.

Conspiracy theory? Perhaps, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

It isn't going to matter because either way the consumer will choose Another headphone jack phone, or they will get used to it being the norm.

It's just like saying that some day the consumer will never have to carry credit cards in their wallets again...OH WAIT...............

 

[ratsttam]

If you're getting rid of ports, why have speakers? One of my managers bought two $150 Bose blue tooth speakers a few months ago (good thing he likes iPhones).

I had to think for a few minutes why they wouldn't get rid of the speaker... Then my phone rang, and sure enough, that's the reason the built in speaker will never go away. We still need to have notification sounds (and the ability to hear the other person during a call).

At least until we have chips in our heads... But then we won't need the phone anymore right?

 

[ELAkid]

actually i think that it is quite possible that Samsung may just remove the headphone jack for several reasons. I read an article today here

Samsung considering replacing the 3.5mm headphone jack with its own proprietary port for the Galaxy S8 ~ Tech Guide 101

which was very informative on this very topic. It seems as if Samsung is trying to take Apple down by replacing the headphone jack with one of its own proprietary ports. However if it really does that then nobody knows how the general audience would respond. i mean So many people just use normal, regular , headphones.

That's what the newspaper article I read, was also stating.

 

[kramer5150]

I'm not an Apple user by any stretch of the imagination, but have you not seen their accessories? There's i-stuff literally everywhere custom made for their devices. There's big money in their aftermarket products, so I seriously doubt they would have any trouble finding stuff that works

My commentary is based on my own iPhone experiences, where I have found iOS can be picky and finicky about the Lightning accessory I have plugged in. Its not that there is excessive trouble finding them... its that you have to in the first place, and non-apple certified accessories are at risk of iOS incompatibility. Compared to generic USB... where just about anything works compatibly. That's all I am really saying.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

They did indeed.

The Moto Z doesn't have a headphone jack The Moto Z doesn't have a headphone jack | Android Central

The newest in the Moto Z line, the Moto Z Play DOES have a headphone jack.

 

[Morty2264]

The topic isn't Note specific, so it doesn't necessarily belong here. That being said Samsung has no reason to get rid of it. They already know the negatives of getting rid of the headphone jack as well as other things (like when they got rid of SD card slots on the Note 5, and it bit them). They made the jack in the Note 7 water resistant, and they could do it in the future for any phones. They also make a ton of wired headphones, and they wouldn't want to anger those customers by saying they couldn't use them on their new phones. Your source is unreliable, and you shouldn't trust him/her/them.

I agree with you! Why would they even get rid of the headphone jack in the first place? Don't tick off your loyal customers, especially after the battery incident.

But yes, this rumour has to be taken with a grain of salt.