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Samsung's Galaxy S8 Will Feature a Headphone Jack, Desktop Dock, 'Infinity Display' and More, Says In-Depth Report (theguardian.com)
The Guardian has published a considerable amount of information on Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone. The phone will reportedly launch in March with a headphone jack and a desktop dock, among other features. From the report: Samsung's Galaxy S8 will come in two sizes, have an almost bezel-less, edge-to-edge "infinity" display and an iris scanner, the Guardian has learned. The two variants will have screens in the 5in to 6in region, with the devices having the same or smaller proportions of previous versions of Samsung's flagship smartphone but with larger displays, according to several well placed sources talking to the Guardian. The S7 was available with either a 5.1in and 5.5in screen. The two smartphones are codenamed Dream and Dream 2, representing the smaller and larger Galaxy S8 respectively, according to two sources. Both versions will have screens that curve down at the left and right sides of the device similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge, two sources have said. The so-called "infinity display" will cover the majority of the front of the device, with very little body on the top and bottom of the screen not dedicated to the display. Two sources said there wasn't even room to put a logo or brand name on the front of the device. Samsung has moved the fingerprint scanner to the back of the device, multiple sources said. The Galaxy S8 will have a traditional 3.5mm headphone socket, according to several sources. Samsung also plans a range of new accessories for the Galaxy S8. Two sources said a new dock and service that turns the Galaxy S8 into an Android desktop computer, connecting to a monitor, keyboard and other peripherals called DeX (desktop extension) will be available. DeX has been likened to Microsoft's Continuum, which connects Windows smartphones to a desktop extension to allow them to be used as Windows PCs, but only with Windows Store applications.
Not at all. For audiophiles such as myself a headphone jack is a requirement for purchasing any device. Until bluetooth headphones/headsets can provide the same quality as my corded headphones this will not change.
Funny, my audiophile friend (and me, who is also quite audio-savvy) both cheered the removal of the ridiculous, intermittent, 3.5 mm phone jack. 'Bout Fucking Time!
It would be one thing if Apple hadn't completely mollified the naysayers and those with beloved analog headsets by both including a Lightning-based headset AND a simple Lightning to 3.5 mm adapter cable; but they did. And then, they even did the completely non-Apple thing of making additional adapter cables CHEAP enough (USD $9) that you can throw a spare in your book bag; or simply keep one snapped onto each of your beloved analog headsets/headphones/earbuds.
One of the biggest advantages of using a digital output that an alleged "audiophile" like you has completely overlooked Is the fact that, by using an external DAC, you completely free yourself from the constraints of the analog output circuitry in the iPhone, which, although it is pretty good, is not in the same universe as what can be achieved with an external DAC and power amp, and with a decent power supply and an environment that is outside the bombardment of RF and ground-plane noise (ground bounce) from the rest of the phone's digital and radio circuitry.
Didn't think of THAT one, didja?