Bluetooth Headphone Jacking: A Key to Your Phone [video]

Post by amarshall » Thu, Jan 01, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC

dweekly wrote: post #85

makeitdouble wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see the point for ultra slim phones. Except the only phones that are slim enough to have their thickest point thinner than that have only started to come up recently. Imagine the same argument for USB-C: at some point phones will be too slim to allow for that port, should every maker start dropping it right now ? That would be nonsense. On adapters, it's no panacea: you still want the USB port available. Split adap…

On slimness: wouldn't an alternative implementation be to "do the Magic Mouse" and put the USB C port on the back of the phone instead of the edge? Alternatively I could imagine MagSafe alignment / charging magnets plus an NFC like inductive communication (or contact pads) to allow for a range of "snap on" peripherals for phone backs that could be implemented on devices thinner than a USB C port.

Post by bdavbdav » Thu, Jan 01, 2026, 5:49 PM UTC

smallstepforman wrote: post #17

Most audiophiles ignore bluetooth headphones due to sound quality + latency, so we (audiophiles) stick to wired at home and we also have dedicated headphone amps since the pissy sound card D/A convertors are incredibly bad. Bluetooth only when I’m doing yard work. Sadly, modern music is tuned to crappy headphones, crappy car systems, crappy speakers … I miss the 80’s audiophile obsession, the equipment had heart, and…

Post by Findecanor » Thu, Jan 01, 2026, 5:56 PM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #16

NoiseBert69 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks god the headphone jacks died in smartphones. I switched to USB-C soundcard cables which are dirt cheap and survive much much more plug-unplug-cycles. They easily can be replaced.

The epidemic of people not wearing headphones has been directly caused by the lack of headphone jacks

Post by crazygringo » Thu, Jan 01, 2026, 6:02 PM UTC

Rygian wrote: post #89

wat10000 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re just responding to the market. The vast majority of people don’t care about this. Personally, I’d rather have two minutes more battery life than a headphone jack. It’s annoying to have non-mainstream preferences in an area where economies of scale mean every product needs to have mass market appeal. But you might as well complain about the tide coming in.

Do you have a source that supports your claim, that the market asked for 3.5 mm jacks to go away?

Post by ProllyInfamous » Thu, Jan 01, 2026, 6:14 PM UTC

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #8

Haven't watched the video yet, but I think this capability was leaked by VP Kamala Harris during her recent interview with the Late Night Show [0]. She stated she doesn't use wireless headphones because she's been in security meetings and knows they're not safe. [0] https://youtu.be/BD8Nf09z_38 (Timestamp 18:40)