Google Replaces Its USB-C Headphone Adapter With a More Expensive Version (theverge.com)

Google is now selling an updated headphone adapter that's supposed to be more responsive and drain less of your phone's battery. But these minor improvements come at a cost. The new dongle costs $12, whereas the old dongle sold for just $9. "That also means Google's headphone adapter now costs more than Apple's equivalent adapter for the iPhone," The Verge notes. From the report: Physically, though, the dongle is nearly identical to the USB-C to 3.5mm adapter that Google has been selling since last October: this new version is just a hair smaller in almost every dimension. Google says the new dongle will connect to your phone ever so slightly faster, and, more importantly, it's supposed to draw less power, translating to 38 percent more playback time. Android Police first spotted the update.

Comments

Re:Sigh... (battery life)

[craighansen]

Can I offer a wild-ass guess that increasing buffer space on the DAC chip can allow the phone to extend the time between wakeups and thereby spend more time sleeping, extending battery life?

Re:Damn ....

[LynnwoodRooster]

It's not really the cost of the adapter that irks me so - it's the fact an adapter is needed in the first place. At least the VAST majority of Android phones still have a headphone jack. Oh, and most support AptX, AptX HD, and hi-res audio (unlike iOS devices) if you care about those things...