
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 looks set to retain the headphone jack - _ao789
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/2/9/16994318/samsung-galaxy-s9-headphone-jack-dex-pad-photo-leak
======
ptero
I am very glad S9 keeps the headphone jack. If only it would add a user
replaceable battery and add-on memory card. I wonder why those three features
that appear to be much loved by users are almost never present in modern
phones.

~~~
RegBarclay
I appreciate replaceable batteries, but they are generally not compatible with
water resistance, which seems to be a more favored feature.

~~~
Brakenshire
They seemed to accomplish it with the G5.

~~~
dec0dedab0de
I actually just changed the battery on my G5 instead of buying a new phone,
and it is working great again.

Not being able to change the battery is planned obsolescence, that is all it
ever was.

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hackme1234
Glad to see Samsung bucking the trend.

I want to use the same earphones on my laptop, desktop and my mobile without
fiddling with different connectors.

~~~
pasta
Isn't this what the promise of BlueTooth is? No connector at all but connects
to everything.

But no headphoneless smartphone for me. I love my (Audio-Technica) headphone.

~~~
squid_ca
My experience with BlueTooth devices has been sub-optimal. They never seem to
connect "cleanly" and always involve some degree of turning the device off and
on again, turning BT on the computer off and on again, trying both in a
different order, trying to figure out the magical combination of buttons to
press on the device to get it to try to "re-pair", etc. I have had this
problem with multiple devices and multiple computers.

And then, yes, if it does connect, the quality is poor.

All I want to do is use the solution that simply and easily works for me and
CONTINUES to work and isn't being replaced for what seems to be a money-making
opportunity.

~~~
fahadkhan
Audio quality on my headphones (Senheiser M2) is better via Bluetooth than
wired. Not sure why.

~~~
fooker
Faulty wire

~~~
fahadkhan
Didn't think of that, haven't tested it but strongly doubt it. I'd expect a
faulty wire to crackle predictably when moved which isn't what I experience.

~~~
fooker
There can be many kinds of faulty. Some faulty wires crackle when there is
something broken that comes into (and goes out of) contact when moved.

For example, having uneven thickness will noticeably reduce audio quality like
you mention.

------
fredley
The presence of a headphone is very, very high up the feature priority list
for me. It's why for the first time ever the next smartphone I buy will not be
a Nexus/Pixel device (I'm still on my 1st gen Pixel). I hope I'm with the
market, and market forces prevail, consigning the jack-less models to a failed
experiment.

~~~
lasgsf
As someone who has used BT headsets for 2 years now could you explain why it
such a big deal? Is it the audio quality?

~~~
cryptoz
I'm not OP but I have a Pixel 2 with no headphone jack and it ruins me daily.
I have the adapter yes, but it is lost 100% of the time. And when I want to
use it I cannot find it. I find myself literally standing in the cold with my
ears freezing off and headphones in with no music. Because I left the house
without the 1mm thick nearly invisible adapter.

Not once in two months have I remembered it when I go out. I hate hate hate
hate hate how much this phone cost and how vastly more inconvenient is
compared to my last phone. I cannot wait for the return of the headphone jack
on phones if true!

Edit: how long does it take to switch your Bluetooth headphones from a
computer to a phone? If it is more than 1 second, it's a stupid waste of time
as well. I'm not putting up with that decline in usability especially if am
expected to spend money on it and throw into the landfill my perfectly good
headphones. No thanks.

~~~
mscrivo
Why not just keep it connected to your headphones/earbuds wire all the time?
Clunky, I admit, but at least you won't lose it.

~~~
cryptoz
How do they plug into anything else then? The computers I have don't take that
port. My friends phones don't take it. My other devices don't take it. I can't
leave it in without buying another pair of headphones for all my other
devices.

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dep_b
The great thing about a headphone port is that if you stick something in it
you won't ever hear anything over the speaker. A bluetooth headset might not
be connected (anymore) and you won't notice until it starts blaring. I use it
a lot when debugging applications that have sound and drive me nuts if I have
to listen to the sound all day long. Apart from that I don't really miss it on
newer phones but my SE remains my go-to testing phone just because things like
that (also you need to dogfood the UX on smaller phones in my opinion).

Aside I have een looking into nice headphone amps for iPhones and that market
seems really small. It seems that audiophiles would skip the built in DAC yes
or yes if audio quality would really matter?

~~~
bsder
> Aside I have een looking into nice headphone amps for iPhones and that
> market seems really small. It seems that audiophiles would skip the built in
> DAC yes or yes if audio quality would really matter?

[https://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-
amp...](https://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-amplifier/)

This is a design created by NwAvGuy (who has since gone AWOL) because all the
headphone amp manufacturers pissed him off with all the hooey.

It's got a Creative Commons license and the design is actually public.

~~~
dep_b
That looks great and it’s relatively affordable. I’ll dig into it.

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jcadam
My iPhone SE died and I just bought an Xperia X Compact. Has a headphone jack
:)

My main criteria for a phone are: small, has a headphone jack, and isn't a
low-end POS. That leaves an extremely limited set of options.

I'm dismayed that there isn't much choice if you're looking for a phone that
can be comfortably operated with one hand and fits easily in a pocket. Make an
S9 mini, Samsung.

~~~
oneeyedpigeon
Is there a reason you didn't stick with the SE? Appears to fulfil all your
criteria, but I guess you might have experienced some problems...

~~~
jcadam
Touchscreen went wonky after about a year. Plus, all of the iOS 11 issues were
infuriating. Apple doesn't do regression testing, apparently.

------
rando444
When I went from S7 to S8, I really thought Samsung did an amazing job
learning from their mistakes and creating an excellent phone. Everything
except the Bixby button. A feature I will never use and is difficult for users
to work around without sufficient knowledge and investment of time.

Sad to see after all of the backlash them not learning from this particular
mistake and doubling down on it instead.

~~~
Gustomaximus
This and the volume warning. I think by now on my 3rd Samsung I've got the
message that if I turn the volume up past 2/3's I could damage my hearing.
Worse is when.your driving and turn the volume up only to have a message.on
screen you need to hit the ok button for.

~~~
elboru
Oh man I really hate phones treating me like a child, I want to control my
volume with my audio system, let me do it!

I know I only have 5% of battery, I know my phone will turn off, but I want to
have a bright screen for the last couple of minutes don't dim it! Also I
really need to take a picture with my freaking flashlight on, let me do it!

And finally I don't get what functionality does it serve to turn my screen on
when it starts charging, I already have a red led indicating it is charging,
don't make me turn off my screen specially when I'm wireless charging!!

------
anonymfus
Considering that one of the main complaints about devices without headphone
jacks is a problem with using audio connection simultaneously with charging or
data, why phones with two USB-C connectors almost don't exist?

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talktime
That's good news - the headphone jack is essential to me, but the reason that
my next phone won't be a Samsung is because Samsung disables Android's native
multiple user profile feature.

~~~
paulie_a
And they insist on adding their garbage replacement apps instead of just using
the stock Android ones. I never understood why mfgs insist on doing that. Why
make a worse app that can't be uninstalled?

~~~
camgunz
I just put all that stuff into a drawer in the launcher called 'zzzzzzzzz'. I
never see it and never think about it.

~~~
ztoben
There is a rootless app that you can install that lets you uninstall the
bloatware samsung apps. Can't remember the name of it but it isn't hard to
find.

------
arvinsim
Considering the prices of bluetooth headsets, bluetooth ubiquity for audio
will still remain a niche for the rest of the world.

~~~
Numberwang
I don't really understand this though. I bought a nice Philips Bluetooth
headset for $60. I would not say that is prohibitively expensive. Also, you
can always connect the head-phone jack to the phone via the converter cable.

~~~
ck425
Those are not good headphone. £100+ are decent if wired, £200+ for good. Add
another ~£150 for equivalent quality if bluetooth.

Also adaptors frequently limit the power available from devices, greatly
reducing quality on good headphones.

~~~
Numberwang
I don't think you can generalize 'good' like that. I only listen to podcasts
and I'm very happy with these.

My datapoint of 'good' says these are 'good'

~~~
lorenzhs
This whole thread seems very 'No True Scotsman' and a bit snobbish to me.
Labelling the entire $140 - $280 wired headphone range as 'decent' but not
'good' for wired headphones is just ridiculous. Even more so calling every
pair Bluetooth headphones below $350 not-even-decent. My Sennheiser PXC 550s
(which regularly go for $300 on Amazon) would like to disagree.

There's also a whole lot of outdated information in this thread, e.g.
concerning the quality of Bluetooth audio. It's really come a long way.

~~~
ck425
The point is that good quality Bluetooth headphones are still expensive. And
as someone who has invested a lot of money in good quality wired headphones I
don't want reinvest even more when we have a functioning technology that
already does the job extremely well.

------
sapphire_tomb
Is anyone else as depressed as me that this is actual news?

~~~
_ao789
You hit the nail on the head!

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pasbesoin
Well, having had my Nexus 5x die and then the Motorolla I (temporarily...)
replaced it with take 5 months to get the Bluetooth vulnerability patch (and
still waiting on the KRACK patch), I would have been screwed with respect to
the Motorola if it didn't have a headphone jack.

I'm to the point of thinking/feeling that any new "feature" they tout, I don't
actually want. A lot of which get connected in the marketing-speak with "thin"
and "water-resistant".

Whatever's driving this, it seems pretty clear now it's not consumer demand.
(And with our "thin" phones, the first thing many of us have to do is slap a
case on them, anyway. And recently all the people with even bulkier and
heavier battery cases...)

------
DanCarvajal
Meh, I was skeptical of losing the headphone jack but my $18 Anker wireless
earbuds have been fantastic so now I'm a believer in the wireless audio
future.

~~~
pymai
I've been using Bluetooth in my car to stream music for a long time now and
ive had bluetooth earbuds for the last year so im believer, i just don't
believe in taking away features that dont need to be taken away.

there are still plenty of times where a headphone jack can be useful. when you
run out of charge, if youre at someone elses house but then dont have any
bluetooth receiver.

maybe in the future when bt headphone batteries last more than a day i might
be able to get behind the idea a bit more

------
chisleu
I've not used a wired headset since I stopped gaming several years ago. Sony's
bluetooth headphones have very good noise cancellation and very good sound
quality. It's not quite as my old JVC HA-RX700 wired headphones.

I understand how audiophiles might really enjoy that quality gap, but beyond
that niche market, I don't get it.

My bluetooth headphones even have wires to plug into 3.6mm / airplane
connectors as well.

It seems that most people don't care about the headphone jack given companies
have decided to ditch them en-mass. Certainly online forums give a voice to
those that still want it, but I've not read any comments that seem to be valid
for _ME_.

Problems I've seen described: * connecting to airplanes (I have connectors on
my bluetooth headphones) * not wanting to use multiple dongles (bluetooth has
no dongles) * pairing sucks (modern bluetooth versions don't have the pairing
issues of old. I don't have to repair to get it to connect. I just hold the
button and tell it to connect to the already-paired device and it works every
time.) * "Considering the prices of bluetooth headsets, bluetooth ubiquity for
audio will still remain a niche for the rest of the world." \- bluetooth is
CHEAP. high quality bluetooth are definitely more expensive than high quality
wired.

Are there any arguments that I've not seen?

~~~
davrosthedalek
How long does the battery in your headset last? I fly often for 7h+, and with
travel to/from airport, waiting etc, it can be more than 12.

~~~
chisleu
Mine lasts about a week. I usually only use it for a few hours at a time, but
it's never been a problem before. It charges way faster than it discharges.

------
kentosi
Aside from the headphone jack, many earlier leaks/rumours indicated an on-
screen fingerprint scanner. It's unfortunate that this technology still isn't
ready for phone manufacturers to use.

Anyone know of what the status is on this?

~~~
eganist
It's ready for prod.
[https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/9/16867536/vi...](https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/9/16867536/vivo-
fingerprint-reader-integrated-display-biometric-ces-2018)

Samsung might be waiting for a cost dip, OR current Samsung leaks mask a
decision to use it.

------
dandare
I will vote with my wallet for keeping the jack.

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sporkland
I was super nervous about buying the pixel 2 xl with no jack as I used to use
earbuds that connect to the jack. I switched to some Bluetooth headphones and
it has totally improved my quality of life not needing to manage that wire. I
use headphones way more now that I ever did.

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fulafel
New Sony Xperias have these too.

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api
Looks like I'm sticking with Samsung for the foreseeable future.

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nixpulvis
Maybe it's finally time to switch.

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cletus
Apparently Samsung lacks courage.

------
dingo_bat
The hype is real! I can't wait to see what new stuff they bring to the table.
Probably time to upgrade my S7e.

------
nkkollaw
Jesus, this is a feature now.

I am voting with my money and saved about 1,000 last year from now buying
anything Apple anymore.

I think tech companies need to focus on features that are only good for
marketing less, and more on what consumers want.

------
princess-aslaug
Not sure how this is news worthy. This is a minor feature of one of the many
Android devices out there.

~~~
neolefty
Flagship devices have been losing headphone jacks. iPhone & Pixel stand out,
but here's a longer list:

[https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/news/always-updated-
list...](https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/news/always-updated-list-phones-
with-no-headphone-jack-built-0181441/)

~~~
oneeyedpigeon
I wish Apple/Google would just make two versions of their next phone: one with
the headphone jack, that's half a millimetre thicker, for a dollar or two
more; and a version without. I can understand why they would drop it if there
were no market for it, I just can't accept that there's no market for it.

~~~
tazjin
I think there is a market for it, but a large number of consumers feel "held
hostage" by technology. They're just being told that they can't have this
feature anymore, and then all the major companies remove it simultaneously
(via the standard mechanism of copying Apple, of course).

Even if you wanted to "vote with your wallet", you couldn't.

There are no more phones being sold at reasonable sizes (besides the iPhone
SE, which will probably go away soon).

None of the current big-name flagships (this S9 potentially being the
exception) have headphone jacks.

If my current phone (an SE) breaks I'm not sure I'll buy another smartphone.

~~~
Crespyl
I'm in a position where, if my Samsung S5 breaks, I'll probably just see if I
can find another refurbished S5 off of ebay or similar. Nothing newer seems to
have the same combination of hardware features I care about.

Hopefully this S9 signals a return to manufacturers _adding_ hardware features
again instead of removing them.

~~~
dragonwriter
> Hopefully this S9 signals a return to manufacturers adding hardware features
> again instead of removing them.

Most manufacturers _add_ hardware features even when they remove them; but
Samsung started restoring features by bringing back removable storage in the
S7 generation of flagships. (They also activated FM radio starting in that
generation, which was doubling down on the headphone jack, since it relies on
wired headphones for antenna.)

~~~
Crespyl
My S5 has expandable storage, NFC, replaceable battery, headphone jack, RGB
notification light, hall effect sensor (for flip covers), fingerprint reader,
wireless charging, and even an IR emitter (which I use heavily). It's even
decently water resistant.

It seems like every phone since then has dropped at least one of those in
favor of (to me) useless things like edge-to-edge displays or curved glass
sides.

I'd love to see a new phone (Samsung or otherwise) with all the same features,
but if one exists it hasn't been well marketed.

~~~
dragonwriter
Current Samsung flagships in both the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines have all
of those except the IR emitter and replaceable battery; S6 / Note5 dropped the
expandable storage, but it was restored in the S7/Note7 generation.

As more and more remotes are RF rather than IR (and more and more of the
things that have remotes can also be controlled by mobile apps), the utility
of an IR blaster is dropping; while I, too, would like to see them come back,
I don't really think it's likely.

I don't think removable batteries are coming back either; the current ones are
serviceable, just not conveniently swappable in daily use. But the daily use
use case of removable batteries is more than adequately served for most users
by battery packs (including battery cases) on the market now, so it's too
little utility to too few users to justify compromising other features on a
flagship.

------
LeonM
Why does everyone (including here on HN) focus on the darn headphone jack, if
the article/tweet shows an exciting feature that may finally make the
computer-in-your-pocket dream a reality... I am WAY more exited about that
'DeX pad' than the darn headphone connector!

~~~
lloeki
> Why does everyone (including here on HN) focus on the darn headphone jack

Because it's been nearly universal for even longer than computers have
existed, serves the purpose perfectly, and the alternative is hard pressed to
be compelling in any way, whether on sound quality, convenience, device size,
cost, robustness, complexity, usability, or versatility (it's really an analog
port that turns out to be mostly used for audio signals). Previous removals
(magnetic or optical disk drives, vga, serial, or ethernet ports) were dealt
with when they were obsoleted by outperforming, or at the very least vastly
more convenient alternatives.

> finally make the computer-in-your-pocket dream a reality

The dock is the easy part, the hard part is the OS/UI and making the thing
super convenient.

~~~
cat199
> compelling in any way, whether on sound quality, convenience, device size,
> cost, robustness, complexity, usability, or versatility

compelling for DRM rights holders, and all the manufacturers are trying to
setup their walled garden 'content stores' and need to make rights agreements
with content producers..

