Apple, Now Samsung too: Say Goodbye to the 3.5mm Headphone Jack

The 3.5mm headphone jack is old technology. Apple made waves when they introduced their jack-less iPhone 7, and it looks like Samsung is planning on following suit with the Galaxy S8. 

‘Out with the old, in with the new,’ as the saying goes. The 3.5mm headphone jack won’t exist on the Apple iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S8. To replace it, wireless options and the newer USB Type-C port are being adopted by more smartphones due to their smaller size and high data-transfer rates. The move is controversial, as most audio devices still use the 3.5mm jack. Samsung may be able to take advantage of the extra space in designing the Galaxy S8.

The Galaxy S8 is Looking Forward

To offset the loss of the older audio jack, Samsung plans to release some digital USB Type-C headphones with special features. Additionally, the extra space might be used to improve the battery. Hopefully, the lack of the headphone jack will give them space to avoid a repeat of the notorious, exploding Galaxy Note 7s.

The Note 7 smartphone brought Samsung a lot of bad press when many of them exploded during use. It was found that a lack of space for the battery cell to expand was the cause of the volatility.

Samsung is looking to improve their phone, but it seems like Apple has another head start.

Falling in Line with Apple

Apple made headlines when it announced that the iPhone 7 would not be using the 3.5mm headphone jack, and the critics of that move were loud and unhappy. For example,

For example, Blake Morgan at Forbes said that “…it appears to solely be a way to force customers to use Apple products alone, and buy more of them.” Abandoning the jack may cause a rash of customers looking for another brand. Samsung could make good use of that after what happened with the Note 7.

Following Apple’s lead is not a new Samsung strategy. The two companies have a long-standing lawsuit over patent violations which recently garnered an opinion from the Supreme Court.

The design elements taken from the iPhone may have been a good idea for Samsung in the past, but this move could show a propensity to copy Apple no matter what they are doing.

While dropping the jack may help Samsung improve their phone, it is still a similar move to their competitor. If the move doesn’t work for one company, it could seriously hurt both.

Bye bye, 3.5mm Headphone Jack

The 3.5mm jack is going the way of the dodo. Luckily for us dinosaurs, technology will always allow us to adapt. You can buy an adapter for all of your 3.5mm headphone jack needs. As you can see from the reviews in Google, people love Adapters.