Dual headphone jack smartphone scores high in new reparability video

I still don't quite get why some people are defending manufacturers which remove the headphone jack on their phones...

3.5mm jacks don't cost much materially. Removing it doesn't bring any benefit at all, and you are forced to buy a bluetooth headphone or a Type-C-to-3.5mm dongle on top of that.

It also made it so much easier to choose a new device. Requirements: headphone jack and a removable battery. Results: 1

Even Fairphone made themselves irrelevant to me by dropping the headphone jack. What an absolutely stupid decision to make especially for a device like that.

As someone out of the loop: Why?

Have it just be form-fitted outside contacts, with magnetic adhesion to hold the plug in place.

I actually really like this idea. If we're breaking backwards compatibility anyways, let's do something useful with it. This form factor was invented in the 1950s. I'm sure we can do something better now.

We need to move away from everything having a battery anyways. Wireless headphones were a mistake. Now people are walking around with 4-6 batteries on them at all times. Phone, laptop, earbuds, earbud case, battery backup, smart watch. Batteries aren't great for the environment, not to mention they typically condemn something to being tech waste in a few short years. We need to significantly rethink this model.

Apple tried to replace it with Lightning connector. They even were selling EarPods with a Lightning connector. Obviously it was a total disaster.

Like Apple's magsafe? Not unreasonable, but you'd still need an adapter. I think the biggest issue would be having magnets small enough for the rim of the phone, but still strong enough to keep secure while moving around, but also won't interfere with other magnetic components like the speakers or compass.

That takes time and effort (i.e. money). Or they could just omit all that stuff and tell people to use the Bluetooth radio they're going to put in the phone anyway.

The jack connector has a really long history, back to the telegraph. The simplicity, the dependability, the interoperability, the lack of it falling out, or needing magnets, or who knows means it will be very tough to replace. And it has evolved too, it used to be a ball end, they have switched sizes, added channels

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(audio)

My ol' sony discman actually has a flat printed pcb connector for earphones.

Issue is that redesigns get proprietary real fast

Actually the DAC in the Apple Dongle (even with how hideous it looks) is quite good (for the price) compared to the DACs powering the minijack ports on mobile phones. Let alone other external DACs.

If you'd care at all about audio quality you'd at least know that right? Instead of trying to shit on a product you don't even own, maybe learn something about audio?

Edit: the comment quality here has rapidly decreased to Reddit hive mind unga bunga "I hate everything I don't own and have no experience or knowledge about"-levels.

Most mobile phone mini jacks have horrible DACs running them.

Edit 2: Damn fake noob audiophiles walking around here lol. Show me 1 article where the Apple Dongle performs under its price. Losers.

Edit 3: Ah Android sub, of course it's gonna be full of hate. I thought this had something to do with audio or tech. My bad, you Google chumps.