Phones are increasingly arriving without headphone jacks. Is the future unfriendly to music listeners?
The headphone jack — or lack thereof — has become a point of contention for many people since Motorola removed it from its flagship in mid-2016. The conversation got even louder when Apple did the same later in the year, and now we have devices like the , arguably one of the best phones of the year, and the , that maintain the trend.
While there are plenty of avenues to overcome the lack of a headphone jack — Bluetooth headphones, USB-C headphones, or an adapter that brings back the 3.5mm jack, many people prefer to seek out devices that just keep things simple and seek out a phone with the port built in. It helps that the most popular Android phone this year, the , has kept the jack despite that promise to increase sound quality, but the writing does appear to be on the wall: the 3.5mm headphone jack is not long for this world.
In our forums, dpham00 wondered the same thing, noting the port's absence on the new Moto Z2 Force:
dpham00
07-25-2017 03:31 PM
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There's no 3.5mm headphone jack like the z force droid, will this be a deal breaker for you? Personally, I haven't used 3.5mm headphones in years so it doesn't bother me, but i can see it as a downer for those that do. There is an usb c to headphone jack in the box but that seems very easy to lose, IMO.
Reply
The responses are fairly uniform, including this one from shadowsjc:
shadowsjc
07-25-2017 04:41 PM
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Deal breaker for me. I have a Motorola g4 plus and have been tracking the z2 force eagerly for some time. I can't believe they reduced the battery and took off the headphone jack. I use Bluetooth headphones during my work commute, but sometimes its not practical to fire up the headset (like if I want to listen to something at work, I want the option to plug in my earbuds without some stupid...
Reply
Others, like PowrDroid, just require an adapter to be in the box, and he's good to go:
PowrDroid
07-27-2017 11:14 AM
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If it comes with the adapter, not a deal breaker. But it's an unnecessary hassle to need an adapter. Just another detraction from this phone.
Reply
What do you think? Is the lack of a headphone jack a dealbreaker for you when deciding on a new phone, or is it no big deal?
The headphone jack — or lack thereof — has become a point of contention for many people since Motorola removed it from its flagship in mid-2016. The conversation got even louder when Apple did the same later in the year, and now we have devices like the , arguably one of the best phones of the year, and the , that maintain the trend.
While there are plenty of avenues to overcome the lack of a headphone jack — Bluetooth headphones, USB-C headphones, or an adapter that brings back the 3.5mm jack, many people prefer to seek out devices that just keep things simple and seek out a phone with the port built in. It helps that the most popular Android phone this year, the , has kept the jack despite that promise to increase sound quality, but the writing does appear to be on the wall: the 3.5mm headphone jack is not long for this world.
In our forums, dpham00 wondered the same thing, noting the port's absence on the new Moto Z2 Force:
dpham00
07-25-2017 03:31 PM
“
There's no 3.5mm headphone jack like the z force droid, will this be a deal breaker for you? Personally, I haven't used 3.5mm headphones in years so it doesn't bother me, but i can see it as a downer for those that do. There is an usb c to headphone jack in the box but that seems very easy to lose, IMO.
Reply
The responses are fairly uniform, including this one from shadowsjc:
shadowsjc
07-25-2017 04:41 PM
“
Deal breaker for me. I have a Motorola g4 plus and have been tracking the z2 force eagerly for some time. I can't believe they reduced the battery and took off the headphone jack. I use Bluetooth headphones during my work commute, but sometimes its not practical to fire up the headset (like if I want to listen to something at work, I want the option to plug in my earbuds without some stupid...
Reply
Others, like PowrDroid, just require an adapter to be in the box, and he's good to go:
PowrDroid
07-27-2017 11:14 AM
“
If it comes with the adapter, not a deal breaker. But it's an unnecessary hassle to need an adapter. Just another detraction from this phone.
Reply
What do you think? Is the lack of a headphone jack a dealbreaker for you when deciding on a new phone, or is it no big deal?