this post was submitted on 24 May 2024
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Can someone help me understand why headphone jacks and SD card slots are so important to people? All new phones have audio connections built into the USB-C port, and have enough onboard storage not to require any amount of expansion.
Is the lack of these features really a dealbreaker? I have a Pixel, with custom ROM, and consider myself a power user, and never miss those features at all.
SD cards were nice back when phones had like 16GB of onboard storage and you needed more space for apps and media, but with 512GB onboard storage and the ability to use cloud storage at Wifi 7 speeds, I couldn't imagine needing more.
Integrated headphone jacks were nice before the vast majority of people used Bluetooth headphones. Even then, a tiny adapter lets me connect any of my old wired headphones or aux cables up no problem.
We're 18 years into the smartphone age. When the first smartphones came out in 2006, microsd cards were only 2 years old. Now they're 20 years old. Are we really surprised that this feature is no longer standard?
The 3.5mm headphone jack has been around since the 1950's, and adapters have been required for tons of audio applications for even longer than that. Do we really need a 70-year-old port integrated into new phones?
I can't speak to the sd card situation but I still prefer a headphone jack over Bluetooth. I would argue that the vast majority of people (as you put it) use Bluetooth headphones simply because they were forced into it.
Bluetooth is neat and all but it's also super old (28 years!). It's older than smart phones and sd cards. But age aside, it's also not reliable. You cannot guarantee it will work everytime you need it. Whereas you could reasonably expect a headphone jack to work everytime. So replacing old reliable with old not-reliable doesn't seem right from a logical perspective.
My only other concern is convenience. But wired and wireless both have pros and cons and I just consider them more or less equal.
I feel like everyone keeps arguing with me about "Wired vs. Bluetooth", but that has not been my argument.
My argument is "what's the big deal about using a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter?"
You still get wired headphones. I have a Pixel 7 Pro and use my Sennheisers on them. I do not understand the problem. The feature isn't missing, and the adapter is like $5 and has no downsides. For a couple extra bucks I got a Power+Aux adapter, and now I can plug it into my sound system at home and play it wired while it charges.
You mentioned two situations where you need additional adapters (to use headphones and aux output) but a 3.5mm jack would completely mitigate the need for them.