Say goodbye to headphone jacks on smartphones

It was a good run, but after 52 years the 3.5mm headphone jack is finally on the way out.

Chinese technology giant LeEco announced its latest Android smartphones today, and none of them included the ubiquitous audio connector. Instead, these phones will rely on USB-C headphones and Bluetooth alternatives.

That might make some things more difficult — like charging and listening to music at the same time — but it also unlocks the door to high-resolution audio, fancy DACs and more powerful headphones. LeEco announced two USB-C headphones alongside the phone, one over-ear model and one in-ear model, both of which support the company’s Continual Digital Lossless Audio (CDLA) standard.

HTC and JBL

LeEco may be ahead of the curve, but they’re hardly the only ones invested in USB-C headphones. HTC’s recently announced 10 flagship still includes a 3.5mm connector, but the company also partnered with audio firm JBL to produce some of the first noise-cancelling USB-C headphones. Normally noise-cancelling headphones need to be recharged between uses, but the additional power throughput of USB-C removes this restriction — chalk another win up to USB-C.

Oppo

Oppo is another early adopter of USB-based headphones. Their R5 smartphone, launched all the way back in 2014, was the first modern smartphone to come without a 3.5mm jack. And that omission was used to full effect, as the Oppo team were able to craft a smartphone just 4.85 millimetres thick. The R5 wasn’t loved by critics, largely as there were barely any headphones available for the phone, but you’ve got to see the R5 as ahead of its time.

Apple

Of course, the elephant in the room is Apple. Their upcoming iPhone 7 is widely expected to ditch the 3.5mm connector as well, leaving the phone’s Lightning connector as the only option for wired headphones. That has knock-on effects on the iPhone 7’s design, which can become thinner than ever before once the 3.5mm jack is shed.

There are already a few Lightning headphones available, and we can surely expect that number to rise sharply once the iPhone 7 is announced. Apple’s effect on the industry is substantial, and it wouldn’t be crazy to expect most other phone makers to likewise ditch 3.5mm jacks in the wake of an absurdly thin iPhone 7.

Of course, there’ll still be an option for 3.5mm headphone fans — £30 Apple Lightning to 3.5mm adapter, anyone?

Wrapping up

So there we have it — in my eyes at least, the impending death of 3.5mm, at least on smartphones. What do you think — bring on the USB-C / Lightning future, or pry my 3.5mm headphones from my cold, dead hands? Let us know in the comments!