this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
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On a recent post, there were a lot of comments, which said that they were missing the headphones on newer mobile devices.

How many actually use the headphone jack?

I ask, because I have one on my phone, since I really wanted one, but I rarely use it. Like Tops 1/Month.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I did everyday in my car for listening to music when I still had my Pixel4a. Sadly it started to die and I replaced it with a Pixel 8(sans headphone jack) and had to buy a Bluetooth -> aux adapter.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

If mine had one I would use it everyday. Idk why but I love wired headphones wah more than earbuds.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use it every day

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

My phones don't have one but I use a headphone jack on my tablet.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use both practically daily.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sunk into the Samsung ecosystem. When they stopped including a headphone jack on my phone I had to go and buy Bluetooth earbuds. I have a practically unused pair of Shure wired earbuds that are fantastic that I simply can't use.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

There are USB-c to mini-Jack cables/dongles.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

When I had a motorcycle. This was a daily use item. Now I only use them when out on walks/hiking

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

All the time

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I bought wireless headphones about 4 years ago and haven't used wired since. Even when playing through speakers, in my car, and all that I just use Bluetooth.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Well I tried shoving the wire up my own ass but I prefer the songs on my phone.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I never do, because it doesn't have one

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use it daily, to connect my phone to my car AUX input and my various (very expensive) headphones.

[–] silverdiamond 3 points 1 year ago

I've been using a phone without a headphone jack for 3 years now with galaxy buds, if i didn't accidentally break the included usbc headset id be using that instead (even on pc) but i did so now i use the headphone jack on my wireless xbox controller on pc (connected to my pc via usb because my motherboard's audio makes noises when the pc is basically doing anything and echoes my mic into my left ear on windows (not a toggle in software or anything but said problem goes away if i power cycle pc by psu and then boot into linux)) and on phone i get to deal with Bluetooth and if i did have a usbc headset again i wouldn't be able to use it and charge the phone in a practical way (wireless charging is an option but my phone discharges faster than it changes wired (when connected to pc), wireless charging is even slower)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I used to use it, before buying a USB C headphone amp cause my headphones lacked bass

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I use my ksc75 daily with the headphone jack.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Very very rarely. I have a cheap Bluetooth adapter in my car, and I don't regularly use headphones because everyone I care about is immediately annoyed when they see headphones over/in my ears.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use it a few times a month. I've got fantastic Bluetooth earbuds, but occasionally in zoom calls I'll switch from my PC to my phone on the fly, and the wired PC headset comes with me since it's got a nice microphone and noise cancelling. I can't imagine trying to switch quickly like this with Bluetooth!

I also tend to use wired headphones when commuting in busy areas (city train stations etc.) as Bluetooth falls apart in these conditions... dropouts piss me off. I listen to offline MP3s for the same reason.

I've gone without before - my last phone didn't have a headphone jack and I never bothered with the USBC dongle because it was a pain - but having the flexibility is more convenient.

I only upgrade every 4-5 years, so it makes it easier to find a newish phone that has a headphone jack. It frustrates me that new laptops still include headphone jacks, but most new phones don't. It's a stupid inconsistency.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Used to use it daily but dropped it a few too many times with a cable inserted and now it can only be used in the car in a very specific angle.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Daily. Mostly Spotify and Youtube or when I don't want to listen to my wife.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I used to use mine almost every day with the same set of earbuds that I've had for probably close to a decade at this point. Since getting a phone without a jack, I listen to music significantly less now which is quite upsetting. I'm not the type to use the speaker on the phone since I've always seen that as rude, and the wireless earbuds that I have are just inconvenient to use at best and not the same quality compared to the wired ones (That's not to say that they're poor quality but I can absolutely tell the difference on my favourite songs).

I've been very tempted to just go back to my old phone once the contract on my current one has ended if modern phones are going to move away from 3.5mm jacks.

It has been an excellent universal standard for decades and the arguments about it being obsolete make no sense as it isn't being replaced by something superior, it's just being deleted entirely and a cumbersome workaround is being sold as a positive thing. The only real argument I can see for deleting the jack is that it saves the manufacturers a couple of pennies per unit.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I stopped using wired headphones before I had a device without a headphone jack.

I found the cord infuriating, always seemed to get caught or tangled on things, always making sensitive skin contact (like just beneath my jawline) where I was forever readjusting it and sometimes the cords lifted the headphone out of my ear.

Conversely, I’ve had three pairs of wireless headphones. First pair didn’t like getting christened in the washing machine, second pair is still going strong and third pair are AirPod Pros I bought before a flight for the noise cancellation which are also going strong. Maybe I’ve outsmarted the whole of Apple’s engineering/marketing department but I’ve never felt like the sets I’ve had are underperforming on battery life and have no reason to buy sets to replace the working ones I have. The small conveniences, like not being tethered to my phone and freedom from cords, have absolutely made the change to wireless worth it to me.

The biggest and most obvious downside against wireless headphones is compatibility and price.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I have not owned a phone with a headphone jack in a long time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I had wired headphones, went to a good wireless one (Sony WH-1000XM3), and I will never go back.

Most people I know that want the headphones jack back want it to be able to use good quality wired headphones they already own, mainly because they can't afford (or just don't want to buy) a good quality wireless one.

Seriously. If you can buy a new mid-range smartphone, you have enough to buy premium wireless headphones. If you can't, most cheap smartphones have audio jacks. Just skip this smartphone generation to buy good wireless headphones and you are set for years.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I do, I like that I don't have to worry about charging

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Tbh. I love my Samsung buds. I don't understand people complaining about the hassle of wireless. It is the wires that are always a hassle imo. My earbuds just pop out the case and are ready.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Whenever I'm in the car I use it to plug my phone into the Aux port. I also like to play rhythm games on my phone and Bluetooth has too much of a delay.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use a USB C dongle sometimes which works great, but mostly wireless these days

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I haven’t used wired headphones in about 8 years. Bluetooth all the way.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I have a headphone jack on my phone, I still use a USBC-aux dongle because it doesn't suck.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use it quite frequently for both making calls and listening to music or videos.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I use it everyday, I still like wired earphones a lot.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I use mine whenever I want to use my M50Xs. I tried buds, twice. Galaxy buds and Sony XM4s, the XM4s fell into a pool and the galaxy buds were simply misplaced. The galaxy buds sounded like absolute trash while the XM4 were actually decent, but why would I prefer them over the M50X? Now I'm switching from my note 9 to the pixel 8 pro and I don't know what I'll be doing about the lack of headphone jack.

My girlfriend has it even worse, her car only has AUX, no Bluetooth. I got her a Pixel 8 for Christmas, so she'll lose the only way to put music in her car. I also don't know what I'll be doing about that.

Honest take? We've got neural chips on our phones, we got cameras rivaling pro-level cameras, but we keep losing some very essential and basic features for no fucking reason. The headphone jack should've never been removed. Hell, the IR blaster should've never been removed, I'd kill for a high end phone with such things. Radio is another one, it's never going away as a means of communication, but fuck me for thinking I should have an antenna for radio in a box full of antennas for everything else, right?

Hey maybe I'm wrong about radio and it's just unfeasible to provide good quality signal for all things in a 6 inch box. Maybe I'm wrong about the IR blaster somehow even though TVs, LED stripes, and garage doors still use IR. But it's ridiculous to force no headphone jack as a trend that everyone just follows, all for pricier and shittier Bluetooth buds.

We used to be able to fit all this shit into phones back then, there's 0 reason to exclude them over size constraints now. If the reason is "butt fastah phowns", my 5 year old note 9 still feels more than snappy enough. Maybe we should spend more time making our shit efficient in order to use less space for heat dissipation, as well as better battery life or less battery size for the same battery life. Seriously who needs the kind of computing power found on phones nowadays? Is it really worth it to sacrifice basic QOL functionality for more speed?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I do but it's certain circumstances where it make sense (on aircraft or when I've got a good pair of wired earbuds/headphones on me). Sometimes I use Bluetooth, sometimes wired but I appreciate having a CHOICE!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

another strong "yes" from me. my wired headset has much better speech quality than bluetooth ones. i didn't upgrade my phone since the new Pixels dropped the headphone jack, instead i fixed the screen and battery and keep it another couple of years

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I bought the USB c to 3.5mm adapter to keep using the headphones I bought back in 2008.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Never ever. It wasn't the reason why I got my current phone, but I thought I would use it at least sometimes. I don't.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The last time I used it is about 10 years ago. Don’t miss it. Always hated the cables dangling around and pulling the headphones out of the ears. Wireless is just way more comfortable.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I bought 2 different Bluetooth earphones that I ended up rarely ever using and instead use my standard quality cable headphones.

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