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As great as some of this year's flagship smartphones are, one thing that has been concerning consumers is the removal of the headphone jack. The latest phone to ditch the traditional 3.5mm port is the Razer Phone. It's a move that not everyone is happy with, but according to Razer's CEO, it paved the way for some major improvements in other areas.
Companies like Apple and Google have moved away from the headphone jack without explaining many of the benefits of doing so. In Razer's case, the company is being more open about it, explaining that by removing the jack, the company was able to pack in a bigger battery, improve thermals and more.
Writing in a Facebook post yesterday, Razer CEO, Min-Liang Tan wrote: “By removing the headphone jack – we were able to increase the battery size significantly (I estimate we added 500maH more), improve thermals for performance and a whole lot more. The trade off was not having the jack – but what sealed it for me was that we were able to get audiophile quality sound with the dedicated 24-Bit THX Certified DAC adapter – and I made sure we included that with every phone. Which basically means we give even better quality headphone audio for those who want to hold on to their analog headphones.”
The Razer Phone does still support wired audio via the USB Type-C port. For many, this will mean either buying a new pair of earbuds, or simply using the phone's included 3.5mm to USB C adapter. The downside to this is that users can't charge their phone and use wired headphones at the same time. However, when you consider the upgrade to a 4000mAh battery, it seems like a sensible trade-off.
KitGuru Says: The idea of abandoning the headphone jack has been controversial since rumors began circulating about the iPhone 7. However, it seems that companies are now beginning to recognize the benefits of removing it in favor of better parts elsewhere. What do you guys think about this? Would you rather have a bigger battery, or a 3.5mm headphone jack?
How about just having a bigger/thicker phone? I have never heard anyone friend or acquaintance brag about the thinness of their phone. Most that I know put their phones in cases that double or even triple their thickness, so what’s the point? It is not that long ago since clam shell phones were all the rage and phones like Nokia’s N95 and 3310 were universally popular, being over half an inch thick didn’t encumber them. But along came a couple of manufacturers marketing that thin was fashionable and the rest of the lemmings followed suit.
So in answer to the question “Would you rather have a bigger battery, or a 3.5mm headphone jack?” I’d rather have both which would be so easily achievable by adding a couple of mm to the phone (which would also take care of camera bumps).
How about just having a bigger/thicker phone? I have never heard anyone friend or acquaintance brag about the thinness of their phone. Most that I know put their phones in cases that double or even triple their thickness, so what’s the point? It is not that long ago since clam shell phones were all the rage and phones like Nokia’s N95 and 3310 were universally popular, being over half an inch thick didn’t encumber them. But along came a couple of manufacturers marketing that thin was fashionable and the rest of the lemmings followed suit.
So in answer to the question “Would you rather have a bigger battery, or a 3.5mm headphone jack?” I’d rather have both which would be so easily achievable by adding a couple of mm to the phone (which would also take care of camera bumps).
How about cutting out everything? Then you would just have a battery pack.
My phone’s thick, big, heavy, has huge battery, manages thermals just fine and the screen’s 6 inchs and has the headphone jack. Where’s Razer gone wrong here?
Thicker phones all the way .. with me jack and big battery so that I can feel like i’m holding a tank in my hand rather than the flimsy things they call phones nowadays that bend if it stays too long in tight pockets
I like how all the bullshit is about the few people that are gonna believe and ignoring whoever doesn’t get fooled.
This, I have atm a lumia 650 that barely make it through the day and it is very thin and light but I wouldn’t mind 30 more grammars and a little bit more thickness to get better battery life, like say my friends with xiaomi mi 4X have.
I could prefer a thicker phone just to have better battery life AND headphone jack over a super thin phone without.
Hey listen we removed everything to make that think lighter and better, now you can get an empty box for 100e! See? We even made it way cheaper this way so anyone of you can afford it!
I’d definitely rather have thickness and both. And Razer might have been in a good position to do that with their aim at a specific power user market and lack of prior reputation in the field?