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OnePlus 6T Trades the Headphone Jack For Better Battery Life (techradar.com)
OnePlus CEO Carl Pei confirmed to TechRadar that the OnePlus 6T won't have a headphone jack. Instead, it will feature a larger battery that will be "substantial enough for users to realize." From the report: Our first line of questioning was obvious. Why? Why ditch the jack? Why ditch it now? For Pei, it's about timing, and creating the best smartphone experience. "When we started OnePlus, we set out to make the best possible smartphone, but making a great phone doesn't mean putting every component available into the device," he said. "You've got to make decisions that optimize the user experience, and understand that at times things that provide user value can also add friction. "We also had to think about the negative side [of removing the headphone jack] for our users. We found 59% of our community already owned wireless headphones earlier this year - and that was before we launched our Bullets Wireless headphones. "If we were to do that [remove the jack] two years ago, the percentage [of wireless headphones owners] would have been much lower and it would have caused a lot of friction for our users."
Pei went on to explain that there are user benefits to the removal of the port, which should bring some comfort to OnePlus fans already pouring one out for the headphone jack. "By removing the jack we've freed up more space, allowing us to put more new technology into the product," he said. "One of the big things is something our users have asked us for, improved battery life." Pei wouldn't be drawn on what the "new technology" will be, but we already know the OnePlus 6T will feature an in-display fingerprint scanner, which will eat up some of the space left by the exiting jack. Pei did mention they will include an adapter in the box to allow users to use wired headphone.
Pei went on to explain that there are user benefits to the removal of the port, which should bring some comfort to OnePlus fans already pouring one out for the headphone jack. "By removing the jack we've freed up more space, allowing us to put more new technology into the product," he said. "One of the big things is something our users have asked us for, improved battery life." Pei wouldn't be drawn on what the "new technology" will be, but we already know the OnePlus 6T will feature an in-display fingerprint scanner, which will eat up some of the space left by the exiting jack. Pei did mention they will include an adapter in the box to allow users to use wired headphone.
It's one of the only features I use on my feature phone. You could take out the cameras, GPS, motion sensors and probably half a dozen other bits i've never heard of let alone used, but the headphone socket is important to me.
They had to make room for the notch.
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
As the title says, it means my next phone will be another brand then... To bad since my current OnePlus5 is a great phone for a good price.
Instead of losing the jack, I'd rather see them add waterproofing, FM radio and an IR blaster.
Wireless headphones experience is still crap. I have tried many wireless headphones, and despite paying around 150USD each time, I always ended with headphones that are less comfortable and sound worse than my wired 40 dollar Koss PortraPro or 60 dollar Sennheiser PX100-ii. Moreover, these super duper "advanced" and expensive headsets have a tendency to stop working within a year. I refuse to carry that stupid dongle. It's just another item that will get lost and it's just plain inconvenient to use.
As for Oneplus, all I can say hasta la vista. It was good while it lasted. I recall the first Oneplus One from 2014 which had flagship build and specs for just 300USD. Now that was a value. But now that Oneplus is another +500USD phone that follows the worst trends, whether in pricing, cheating in benchmarks, or deleting the headphone jack, all I can do is stop considering Oneplus for my next purchase.
A headphone jack takes up a neglible amount of space compared to its use. I don't see any legitimate argument for dumping it.
OnePlus CEO Carl Pei confirmed to TechRadar that the OnePlus 6T won't have a headphone jack. Instead, it will feature a larger battery that will be "substantial enough for users to realize.
If that's what their customers actually prefer that is a sensible course of action. Personally I seldom used the headphone jack on phones so I'm quite pleased to have the space budget utilized for other items like batteries. You may feel differently of course and that's totally fine but there are a LOT of people who do not actually care much about the 3.5mm jack. The fact that Apple sells tens of millions of iPhones without the jack is proof enough of that. People that need/want the jack are passionate about it but not as many as you might guess from the complaining.
Personally I think the best answer is to move the headphone jack to the cases that virtually every smartphone is put into anyway. Think about it. Imagine a smartphone that has a standard interface (contact or wireless) to connect to the case. Then you could put all sorts of useful equipment (headphone jacks, bigger batteries, ethernet or other ports, better cameras, good speakers/amps, extra storage, multi-meters, oscilloscopes, etc) into the case based on your particular needs at the time. It's kind of like the unix philosophy in hardware. You have a minimalist core system and then people add the components to it that they actually need. Since nearly everyone adds a case to their phone anyway it seems foolish to not make full use of that fact and put some real capabilities into the case. Plus it would seem to be a real economic opportunity since people LOVE to personalize their phones. I do a lot of photography and I would love to have a case with a much bigger camera lens and battery that integrated seamlessly with my phone. All the smartphone maker would have to do is provide a good interface and API for the hardware makers to play with.
I really don't understand this infatuation with removing something that, for better or worse, has been with us for several decades. It's not just this manufacturer, but it seems to be every manufacturer that is removing the 3,5 mm plug. And I really don't understand why: it can't take up that much space on the PCB, the technology is by now pretty well-known and understood by even the most tech-idiotic people on the planet.
If the manufacturer wants more battery life, why not make the phone a bit thicker? My HTC U11 is around 7 mm thick (guessing, not measuring. For those who want it in Imperial units, you will have to google it.) and I don't think another 3-7 mm would make much difference to me. Granted, I don't know if it would be technically feasible to build a battery in the shape this would force (or make possible) so maybe it couldn't be done in less than an extra 5-20 mm.
As for the question of how much we would use the 3,5 mm plug: in my case at least an hour a day, on my way to and from work. As it is, I have to carry a short cable, with a USB-C male plug on one and and 3,5mm female on the other in order to plug my headphones into my phone. And I don't want to use some other headphones, because when I get to work I plug them into my laptop while connecting the phone to a charger.
Personally, I get enough battery life out of a OnePlus 5. A little more would be nice, but it's not that important on the phone.
Of course, what helps battery life is turning off unnecessary wireless connections - like wifi, and even bluetooth when you don't need it. And they'll be delivering Android 9, which should improve matters further.
Where I do have a problem with battery life is on wireless headsets - you just can't get anything that I am comfortable with wearing that has more than 8 hours continuous battery life.
When I'm travelling long distances, I'll use *wired* headsets - in order to improve my "battery life". So removing the 3.5" jack for slightly better battery life on the phone isn't solving any problems that I have. It is simply creating one.
Sorry, I don't believe it. The footprint of a headphone jack next to the USB jack isn't going to give any meaningful improvement in battery size opportunity.
How about make the stupid phone 1 or 2 mm *THICKER*. That would make a huge difference in cubic space available for a bigger battery. And now poll consumers- which would you rather have:
1) Crazy thin with headphone jack and X battery life
2) Crazy thin with NO headphone jack and X + 20 min more battery life
3) 2mm thicker with headphone jack and X + 20 HOURS more battery life.
Of course, I am making up the numbers, but you get the idea.
You just traded my interest, for lack of interest.
Don't follow some idiot fad from Apple. Possible the most ubiquitous plug across the entire planet and you omit it?
Power varies in shape, voltage across the planet.
USB? I dunno, it might rival the audio jack, maybe for install numbers.
I don't want to charge headphones, I don't want to use USB-C headphones, I want to use the plethora (plethora!) of headphones I have, I want to be able to use /dirt cheap/ crap spare ones in my work drawer or work bag. I want to be able to pay $5 at the airport for a crap pair when I forget mine at home before a fight.
I have no interest in bluetooth / wireless audio. I LIKE the cable.
Nope, no sale. I will not.
Maybe you are an ultra organized person, but if you have a family dongles get lost. Four family members with four devices means you need at least eight dongles so there are enough around. Also, you must be expecting to buy one a month because kids will lose them; you can damage control by teaching them responsibility but they will get lost. No fucking thanks.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Also, bluetooth sound quality is compromised because the bluetooth audio signal is compressed. Play a FLAC on your phone if you want, it won't get to the headphones.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
that this whole jack removal thing is somehow industry forced. Maybe a requirement for 1+ to sell their device (for the first time) via a major US carrier? I can understand the reasons to remove the SD card slot and for non-removable batteries, even though I don't agree, but regarding the headphone jack there is literally no reason at all (more space, outdated tech is just... laughable) except one... DRM.
Also, 1+ plus knows the majority of their customers are power users which won't accept this change lightly. They also ridiculed themselves (just like Google did) because they followed this trend only a few months after mocking their competitors for doing so. So either Pei was somehow forced to it make this change or he is a complete idiot. I don't think the latter is true.
Doesn't excuse his action though...
You know what else gives a better battery life?
A thicker battery. In other words, something that's thicker than the enclosure of a headphone jack.
Ask me about repetitive DNA
The analog hole is now dead. There's few of us left who care.
This isn't just happening with cell phones. Browsing motherboards on newegg I keep finding ones that support 5.1 or 7.1 surround but only have a stereo out jack, instead of the usual 3 or 4. I guess they figure on using HDMI for audio?
Smart people carry a bag of every dongle they might need with them, apparently.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Which means they're alienating 4!% of their customers.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
You can mod your own car.
(Personally, I've added two such gadgets, a similar to my mother-in-law's car, and one using the car manufacturer's proprietary connect on my mother's car)
But you won't by yourself modify every single analog only device, specially all those that you don't own :
- rental cars (these tend to be old and with as few options as possible)
- the speaker set at a friend's appartment when they throw a party, and some iPhone user want to stream their playlist instead of the friend's laptop's.
Also, bluetooth won't share sound (e.g.: two users watching s movie from the same tablet in a plane). Only some bluetooth headsets from some manufacturers are able to forward the sound stream to another headset *from the same exact brand*. We you and your girlfriend happen to have noise cancel headphone from two different manufacturers (say Bose and Logitech UE), you can't listen simultaneously. Whereas the analog cable doesn't give a fuck what brand is the other headset plugged into the other leg of the Y audio splitter.
etc.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
A headphone jack takes up a neglible amount of space compared to its use
Maybe for you but that's not universally true.
Nope, he's right, the space it takes up is negligible compared to its use. In fact I'd go as far to say it takes up no space what so ever in a device with a 4" screen. Here's a teardown of a Nexus 5x... the "massive" headphone jack is right next to the guy's thumb... and the guy isn't gigantrathor, that's a normal sized thumb. That big thing he's taking out it he battery (which still lasts a day or 2 on my 2 yr old Nexus 5x)
I'm flying LHR to LAX (11 hours) next week. LHR-SIN (14 hours) next month, LHR-BOG (12 hours) in November and I'm thinking about a jaunt to Boston over the Christmas break (LHR-BOS 7.5 hours). No set of bluetooth headphones could last the duration considering that they'd also end up getting an hour or so use at LHR because security there is so bleeding efficient and customer focused. Add to this that a set of normal plug-in headphones will work on any 3.5mm jack. No worrying about bluetooth versions, compatibility, setup or any other bollocks, they just plug in and work.
Plus when it comes to hands free, anyone on bluetooth sounds like their in a lavatory at best. Some are down right shocking.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.