The 3.5 mm headphone jack started disappearing from smartphones after Apple launched the iPhone 7 without one back in 2016. Chinese manufacturers Oppo and Vivo had released a few phones without a headphone jack before Apple, but it was the iPhone 7 that started the trend. Fast forward to 2019, and Samsung is perhaps the only leading manufacturer still giving consumers a headphone jack across every segment. It has, however, launched a few phones here and there without a headphone jack, with the most high-profile one being the Galaxy Fold.
Later this year, the inability to connect wired audio gear with 3.5 mm connectors will invade Samsung's Galaxy Note lineup, at least if recently leaked Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Pro renders are to be believed. It remains to be seen what effect that will have on Galaxy Note 10 sales, but as we prepare for a future where Galaxy phones will no longer have a feature that fans of Samsung's Android smartphones have been taking for granted for many years, we thought it would be interesting to see just how many Galaxy devices have already been released without a headphone jack.
As of June 12, 2019, eight Galaxy devices lack a headphone jack
The first Galaxy smartphone without a 3.5mm jack seems to have been the SM-W2018, a flagship flip phone that Samsung launched in China and South Korea. In fact, the company initially released most such phones in China and South Korea, with recent examples including the Galaxy A8s and the Galaxy A60. But that exclusivity has become less, well, exclusive at this point in time. Devices like the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy A80 do not feature a headphone jack and have been released in different markets (not counting the Fold's retail launch delay).
The Galaxy Tab S5e doesn't have a headphone jack, either, owing to its ultra-thin design. And the most recent Galaxy device–and also the cheapest–without the 3.5mm jack is the Galaxy M40, which was launched in India this week. As of June 12, that brings the total count of Galaxy devices that force you to keep a 3.5mm to USB Type-C converter with you at all times, buy USB Type-C earphones, or start using wireless headsets to eight.
Here's a bulleted list of all those devices:
- W2018
- W2019
- Galaxy Fold
- Galaxy A8s
- Galaxy Tab S5e
- Galaxy A80
- Galaxy A60
- Galaxy M40
Eight devices over a span of around 1.5 years may not seem like a lot, but the list will only get bigger after the Galaxy Note 10 arrives. Well, unless Samsung sees considerably reduced sales of the Note 10 and other phones without a headphone jack launched globally and decides to bring it back, although we have a feeling the average consumer won't really care as much as we geeks and power users think they do.
What do you think about Samsung moving towards a no-headphone-jack future?
