The 3.5mm Headphone Jack
Regarding the headphone jack. Yes, that singular, iconic port seemingly being removed from all phones these days. We need to talk about it.
Apple started the trend a few years ago with the release of the iPhone 7, claiming that it was the “brave” thing to do, and that it took “courage” — we’ll get to that part later.
The reasoning behind this decision is that there was no room in the phone for a headphone jack. That it just wasn’t possible with their “new design”.
All of this has been proven to be a lie, as shown in the video below.
This guy — being located in China as well as being pretty tech savvy — was able to put a headphone jack inside the iPhone and actually get it to work. And flawlessly.
So why have Apple done this? Why have they removed the headphone jack from their phones?
The answer comes down to — like most things — money.
You see, Apple does not own the rights or licensing for the 3.5mm headphone jack. They do however, for the lightning port. So this basically means that, whenever a 3rd party OEM wants to make a headphone with a lightning connector, it has to pay Apple royalties and licensing fees. Apple were simply making no money from the headphone jack. It’s actually a pretty brilliant business decision — back people into a corner and force them to buy products that will make them a lot of money in the long run.
And it may come as a surprise, but I am actually okay with Apple doing this, because its smart and makes sense from a business point of view. What I don’t understand however, is why other phone manufacturers are doing this.
Android phones like the Google Pixel 2 (who only one year earlier was boasting about having a headphone jack when the iPhone didn’t), Essential, Huawei, HTC, Xiaomi and countless others have completely done away with the headphone jack. Why?
This actually makes no sense. These phones feature USB C ports for connecting headphones. USB is technology owned by Intel. So whatever USB C headphones OEM’s make, they have to pay Intel royalties.
Why though? What’s the point?
Apple set a trend for their own business needs and it makes sense for them, but for all other phone manufacturers, it makes zero sense whatsoever to take away what is essentially a feature almost everyone still uses. USB C headphones simply are not prime time yet, and maybe it will take another 5 years for that to happen. How long has the headphone jack been around? Since 1878. And it’s still being used in a countless variety of equipment all over the world. Most audio devices — like quality amplifiers — will likely never, ever ditch the port in favor of something else. Why? Because it simply works as intended, and has done so for quite a long time. Quite incredible when you think about it, because Micro USB is almost entirely extinct, yet the 3.5mm headphone jack is still alive and well.
OEM’s — please stop copying Apple’s business practices. There is just no need, and it makes no sense to remove features from your devices. Their decision really doesn’t concern you. Focus on adding features, not taking them away. Our phones are meant to be a convenience — and carrying around adaptors or forcefully having us to invest in USB C headphones is not helping.
A lot of people will say, just use Bluetooth. Well personally, I don’t want to use Bluetooth, simply because the audio quality is not as good as a 3.5mm headphone jack, and probably never will be. Not only that, but Bluetooth is really good at draining battery, so your listening experience won’t be for too long, anyway.
Another very valid reason people (including myself) have is that they already own really good, expensive headphones. Why should we shell out another $200+ when we already own a perfectly capable pair? A pair that will only work with our phones? It just makes no sense.
We’re all for pushing technology forward, but there’s a certain way it should be done. New technology should be a natural progression, not forced upon people.
Thanks to all OEM’s such as OnePlus, LG and Samsung for continuing to provide the headphone jack. Keep fighting the good fight, guys.
