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Samsung Kills Headphone Jack After Mocking Apple (macrumors.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the pot-calling-the-kettle-black dept.

Last week, Samsung introduced its latest smartphone, the Galaxy A8s. Not only is it the first phone of theirs with a laser-drilled hole in the display for the front-facing camera sensor, but it is also their first phone to ditch the headphone jack. Slashdot reader TheFakeTimCook shares a report from Mac Rumors that takes a closer look at the move and the hypocrisy behind it: [The A8s] is also Samsung's first smartphone without a headphone jack, much to the amusement of iPhone users, as Samsung has mocked Apple for over two years over its decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, a trend that has continued through to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. While on stage unveiling the new Galaxy Note 7 in 2016, for example, Samsung executive Justin Denison made sure to point out that the device came with a headphone jack. "Want to know what else it comes with?" he asked. "An audio jack. I'm just saying," he answered, smirking as the audience laughed. And earlier this year, Samsung mocked the iPhone X's lack of a headphone jack in one of its "Ingenius" ads promoting the Galaxy S9. Samsung isn't the first tech giant to mock Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack, only to follow suit. Google poked fun at the iPhone 7's lack of headphone jack while unveiling its original Pixel smartphone in 2016, and then the Pixel 2 launched without one just a year later.

6 of 353 comments (clear)

  1. Killed is a bit of a strong word by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Samsung is simply cutting costs on their budget line up by removing the headphone jack. Multiple accounts indicate the jack is still present on their upcoming flagship S10.

    1. Re:Killed is a bit of a strong word by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      They just dropped all the other useful jacks (Ethernet, HDMI, USB type A) from most of their notebooks...

    2. Re: Killed is a bit of a strong word by SeaFox · · Score: 5, Informative

      Designing phones that are thin and waterproof is difficult and expensive when you have ports to the outside.

      The headphone jack is a prime candidate to cut. Not that I approve of the measure.

      Sony seemed to have no issues making phones for years that were IP68 rated but had headphone jacks (and didn't have a special plug or anything else on them to keep the water out).

      Are these new phones we're getting now that headphone jacks have been removed a higher water-resistance rating? I haven't heard of any that are.

    3. Re:Killed is a bit of a strong word by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 5, Informative

      Well, for one thing, my old iPhone 6 still gets security updates.

      --
      Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
  2. Re:Not really a big deal anymore by arth1 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yeah, the lack of a headphone jack probably annoys audiophiles, but if you're really that picky about your audio quality, you're probably using a standalone media player.

    No need for that. USB-OTG to a DAC/headphone amp. And wired headphones retrofitted with a balanced plug.

    Wireless is useful for when working out, and you don't want to risk snagging any wires. But it sounds like shit, unless your phone and receiver both support AptX-HD (ok) or LDAC (better). Especially AAC, which Apple uses, is max 250 kbps, which is less than most MP3s these days, and unless your file was AAC encoded to start with, full of recompression artifacts. Just don't bother for anything more complex than audio books or third millennium noise. There are AM radio broadcasts with better quality...

  3. Re:The road to Hell... by markdavis · · Score: 3, Informative

    >"Dude have you seeen the specs on this thing?!> [google.com]. 100 DPI? My non smart phone from 2009 had a better screen!"

    Ones he was quoting went off sale years ago. Let's look at the now 2-year-old Moto G5Plus which I bought a year ago from Costco for $189.

    1080P screen on a 5.2" screen = 424ppi

    > It is IPS?!

    Yes

    >The CPU is 5 years old and 2 generations behind the budget grade snapdragons which powered my old Windows Phone.

    It is an 8 core Cortex A53 @ 2Ghz and seems very speedy to me. Much faster than the Nexus 5. And the Snapdragon 625 is only 2 years old.

    >"Tiny battery life"

    3000mAh is not tiny. Again, much longer battery life than the Nexus 5.

    >"and no mention of ram which makes me suspicious."

    5plus 2GB. 5plusS 3GB LPDDR4

    >"Can it even boot anything after 6 marshmallow"

    Android 8.1 Oreo

    >"or run apps?"

    Yep. And GPS, decent cameras, fingerprint sensor, headphone jack, and SD card.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...