this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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Alternatively, if your current phone doesn't have a headphone jack, do you wish it did?

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[–] lichtmetzger@feddit.de 9 points 1 year ago

I have excellent Bluetooth headphones that last multiple days on a single charge. You would think that makes the headphone jack just not important anymore. But I live in a neighborhood with a very satured frequency band which is so bad sometimes that the thing I'm listening to cuts out every few seconds.

Every time this happens I am so happy that I can just plug in a cable and I'm making sure this option will be available to me in future devices. Wireless is not always great.

[–] small44@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, I mostly use wireless earbuds but you never know when you have to use a wired earbuds like if you forget your case and your earbuds are out of charge.

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[–] ThatsMrCharlieToYou@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (15 children)

I'm somewhat surprised by the result if I'm honest. I have switched to wireless and won't go back at all. I do understand the use case for those who want them too but I did not realise it was such a popular request in modern phones!

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's because the question is attracting mainly people who've already got a bee in their bonnet about headphone jacks.

Most people don't even think about it because they went Bluetooth years ago.

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[–] Thorny_Thicket@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yes and removable battery aswell.

Choosing a new phone has been rather easy, since about once every 5 years someone makes one model that loosely fits the criteria.

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[–] rbesfe@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago

I use wireless headphones for everything, I have a Bluetooth to aux adapter for my car, and I still won't give up my headphone jack. It's so useful when the batteries in those things die, or when you hop in a friend's car and want to play something without fiddling with Bluetooth pairing.

I'm still mad that all these major manufacturers just blindly followed Apple and took it out.

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 9 points 1 year ago

Prefer headphone jack so I don't have to charge my headphones. Current phone doesn't have one and is sad.

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (7 children)

I don't get it. This poll is largely in favor of jacks. I love my Bluetooth buds so much more. No more with I have to deal with broken wires. No more do I have to deal with moving my hand and accidentally snagging the cord, forcing my phone to the floor. No more do I have to deal with the cord creating noise as it rubs against the zipper of my jacket...

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[–] KindaLost@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

I was gifted a phone without a headphone jack after my last one died a few years back. I miss it all the time, remembering to charge bluetooth headphones and not losing bluetooth buds is tricky for me. So a lot of the time I just dont play music anymore. Very annoying.

[–] jprjr@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I feel like every comment I'm reading assumes there's only two options - either headphone jack + wired headphones, or no headphone jack + Bluetooth.

I just use a USB-C dongle with a headphone jack on it. It'd be nice to have it built-in, sure, but the dongle is only a few bucks, small, doesn't really add a lot of extra stuff to carry if I'm already carrying headphones.

It's not a deal-breaker for my if a phone doesn't have a headphone jack because if it doesn't I can easily add one.

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[–] willnever_fadeaway@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago

Yes, it goes well with my bluetooth/wired headphones, so even if the headphone's battery is low, I can still use it to listen to music.

[–] BigBananaDealer@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago

i wish it had a headphone jack. bluetooth quality is not for me. i need direct connection

[–] TechDiver@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

I use a Samsung galaxy note 9 which has a Jack because i want a Jack. I replaced the screen twice after it broke just not to buy a diff phone. Fyi note 10 comes without a Jack

[–] eochaid@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No. Not at all.

Honestly, I hated the wire part of my wired headphones for years. I tend to listen to things while I'm doing chores around the house and I can't tell you the amount of times the cable caught on something and sent my earbuds or my phone careening to the floor. Or was forced to untangle myself from a door knob. Or forgot I had earbuds on and stood up from my desk only to throw my phone to the ground.

I went on a bit of a journey with bt headphones but eventually got a pair of Sony Linkbuds and a $30 Bluetooth thingy for my car that plugs into the aux jack, and never looked back. Every other day I plug the case in on my nightstand along with my phone. Nbd. Linkbuds don't have the best sound quality I've ever experienced in BT buds, but the comfort wins over all others.

I also recently got a pair of PineBuds Pro for $70 and man that battery case is legit. I only have to charge that beast once a week. Just waiting on someone to release a better sound profile for those things because they are BAASSSY. But beyond the bass, the potential sound quality is actually quite good. I'm looking forward to what the pine64 community does with these.

I'll also say that I have audiophile hearing (I've been tested) and I absolutely hear the difference in sound quality using BT and a good set of cans - when it comes to earbuds, the difference is negligible between wired and wireless. Given that 1. I'm more often listening to words than music from my phone and 2. The convenience, I'll go for wireless more often than not if given the option. Plus, outside of niche phones and defunct LG phones, I never saw a headphone jack that could properly drive a good set of cans. There are way more output devices I would choose over a phone to drive high quality audio.

That all said, do I think manufacturers should remove the headphone jack? No. Apple did it to sell more airpods. Everyone else did it to save a nickle on their costs. Just because I don't use it doesn't mean it should go away. If anything, there's an accessibility element. BT buds are expensive. USB-C / Lightning buds are expensive. Aux buds are cheap. And wired buds are the easiest and cheapest way for someone to get audio out of a phone or talk on the phobe without fucking holding it in the air to broadcast their conversation to the world. And for that reason, I think the jack should ABSOLUTELY come back.

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[–] vgfn@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Bluetooth has barely improved since it came out, wired audio is a solved problem.

It felt like a practical joke at first, but fr gimme my jack back.

[–] folkrav@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I'm in the minority that basically never needs one and is okay with using a USB-C dongle in those cases. But I don't mind phones having one, and perfectly understand the argument for keeping it. Form over function is definitely a factor in modern phone design.

[–] Streptember@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm fine with the dongle because all I ever use the headphone jack for is for listening in my car (no bluetooth), so the dongle just stays on the end of the aux cord in my car.

No dongle would obviously be better, but it's a very minor inconvenience for me,

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[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I use it, all the time.

Phones that lack a headphone jack or a microSD slot are worthless to me.

[–] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (10 children)

I have a jack. I do use it on occasion. But man some of you really, really hate Bluetooth.

It's not THAT bad. Maybe your phones just have a really shitty transmitter/receiver? Sure, it's not as good as it can get with a jack.

But I also don't want to have wires hanging while running or biking. Being able to change volume and songs without picking up my phone from pocket is also very convenient.

I still want a jack in my phone. But I really don't get the extreme hate on Bluetooth. It's not 2005 anymore. Bluetooth technology has progressed.

[–] MDKAOD@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I have a pixel 6a. I have pixel buds. And I have a fossil sport gen 5 wear os watch.

Whne my phone rings, it's a crap shoot which device will output audio and receive my voice.

Bluetooth sucks donkey balls.

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[–] BetaDoggo_@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (7 children)

The big issue for me is that there is any disadvantage between generations. My current 5 year old flagship has a headphone jack, expandable storage, and support for Bluetooth 5.0 which is all that most devices need. The only new phones that still have all 3 are cheap budget phones that lack in other areas compared to the one I already have.

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[–] d3Xt3r 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (22 children)

So I have a:

  • Sony WH-1000XM5 (which I use in both wired and Bluetooth modes)
  • Galaxy Fold 4
  • MacBook Air M1

These are all fairly recent devices, with the Sony one being the most recent headphones in it's series, running the latest firmware too, which was released last month.

Now here are my issues:

- Fold 4: When I get a call on Google Meet or Duo and I turn on my headphones, the audio doesn't work. I have to disconnect the call, close the app, and reconnect for it to work.

- MacBook: Similar thing happens with Microsoft Teams. In this case though, my headphones is already paired with my MacBook and connected, so I fire up Teams (from scratch) and dial in to a meeting. You'd expect it to work fine right, but the audio doesn't work, even though Teams detects my headphones as the output device. I have to turn my headphones off and on during the call (or reboot my MacBook) for it to work properly.

I can reproduce these issues consistently. I'm not a 100% sure if it's an issue with my Sony headphones, but the point is, all these products that I've listed are fairly recent and fairly expensive, and I deserve a better user experience. Bluetooth has indeed come a long way, and at least for me, audio quality isn't really an issue, but the fact that these sort of connectivity issues are still occurring on recent, premium devices, is unacceptable.

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[–] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I have once owned wireless earbuds. It was cool to have free head, but I was too lazy to keep recharging them like every week or so. They finally died. Or at least the case did. I have replaced the charging chip in it, but it only extended the lifespan by a few weeks. It's now unable to charge both earbuds at once. Still, better than self-heating short-circuited case.

I just don't like them overall. Battery, latency, audio cuts after a bit of silence (power saving), and at the end, more waste.

I still use Bluetooth audio, but differently. With my laptop. When working on laptop, I have my earphones connected to it. But it is more convenient to play music on my phone, so I connect my phone to laptop for audio as well. In fact, I feel like the sound card in my laptop sounds a bit better than my phone, and with laptop I can use aptX HD.

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[–] lunicoDee@feddit.it 7 points 1 year ago

Had to sacrifice it to ne able to use grapheneos

[–] darkmatterstyx@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I've never had a need for the headphone jack, so I didn't care one way or another when they started dissappearing. But, I can definitely see how removing such a simple and cheap port from phones would be such an issue for a lot of people. No one should be forced into replacing accessories that work perfectly for no reason, just adds to all the damned e-waste already generated.

[–] Lazylazycat@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I ended up getting Bluetooth headphones when I upgraded my Pixel. I deliberated over it for AGES.

Charging them is less annoying than I thought it would be (I bought my headphones in January and have only had to charge them about 4 times??) but it annoys me that you can't just plug them in and they work. Talking to anyone on the phone using them is terrible. Bluetooth cuts out sometimes, randomly. I miss my wired headphones :(

[–] WarlordSdocy@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I've managed to avoid giving up the headphone jack, using a Pixel 5a right now. Although when I eventually have to get my next phone I have a feeling there might not be many choices left with the headphone jack.

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I keep my bluetooth and location off so it easier and faster to just plug in headphones. For now I'm trying to get a phone with a jack. Hope they will keep making some.

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[–] cokane_88@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I hate Bluetooth and refuse to use it whenever possible.

One plus nord CE 2 lite, 250 bucks, headphone jack And memory card.

[–] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

Yes, it just works. I use it daily.

[–] snowe@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I voted wrong. Didn’t realize you had to drag. Oh well. I’m indifferent. Haven’t used one for years, but there are a few times it would have been useful

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I use wireless headphones. However, I like to have non-distracting background music at work (open-plan office), and I won't put my personal files (music) on a company-owned laptop. So I run a wire from my phone's headphone jack to the laptop line-in, and can thus play music without any mixing of data.

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago

No, but I do use a VPN which that site doesn't allow.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Wish it did. My Airpods I was gifted died (I am not an Apple user and only used them because they were free), and I bought an inexpensive amazon replacement but it turns out they're so sensitive that the slightest adjustment of the earbud in my ear turns the sound off but very firm tapping does not turn it back on. It's so annoying and I have great wired headphones.

[–] BenedettoLeone@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I simply cannot imagine buying a phone without a headphone jack. I want as few things as possible that I need to keep the battery life of into account in my day to day life. Phones and laptops at least have display symbols for the battery life by default, I have never seen anyone in my country using cordless headphones that had some sort of indicator for how much battery charge remains in them. If some are sold in the first world then they would be out of my expense, and if there are apps available that would solve my gripe I have not encountered them. I do own a pair of my own, but I only use it in very niche circumstances for which I will have known to have charged it right beforehand, and I am lending them to family/friends more often than I am using them.

Even supposing that the battery thing wasn't an issue, the other hassles involved with going cordless (I've had to help people find them one they fall out of their ears way too many times for one lifetime) forbid me from ever even thinking about buying a phone without a headphone jack.

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[–] Commiunism@lemmy.wtf 6 points 1 year ago

I use the same wired earbuds on my desktop PC and on the go, so yes.

[–] AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

As someone who currently uses headphones throughout pretty much all his free time, yes I use wired whenever possible and my current phone was one I got because of the headphone jack. Last thing I want is to have to stop listening to whatever I'm listening to all because my bluetooth headphones need a charge.

Currently I'm stuck with a pair of shitty dollar store headphones, but they are so much better than the wireless ones I have because of just how long I can enjoy music, videos, etcetera, without needing to worry when my headphone battery needs charged. A headphone jack is extremely important to me.

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[–] Allan8795@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I only buy phones with headphone jack. But the way things are going,these greedy manufacturers will sooner or later make it obsolete. Just like the new shitty trend of selling phone without charger in the box.

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 6 points 1 year ago

Yes I need, I use more the jack headphones than my Bluetooth ones. If I had to buy a phone this feature would come into consideration, with a heavy weight

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