Last year, Apple revealed the iPhone 7 would ship without a headphone jack. And despite Apple itself seeming unsure of why they did it, and being roundly mocked for the decision, Android seemed poised to follow suit. Except, it turns out, not so much, if the new crop of Androids is any indication.
The Verge noticed that at this year’s Mobile World Congress, essentially a giant convention for phone manufacturers to show off their latest goodies, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, the LG G6, and the Huawei P10, the biggest launches of the show, all had a headphone jack. Samsung’s Galaxy 8 also seems likely to be shipping with a headphone jack. Even BlackBerry, of all companies, has a headphone jack on its new KeyOne. It’s especially curious because, according to reports, Apple is finally giving up on its annoying habit of using proprietary ports and switching to USB-C, so once again they’re behind the curve.
As to why Android seems willing to offer what Apple won’t, the obvious answer is Android has more audiences to serve. Apple has the hype, but Android dominates the smartphone market, and it’s a lot harder to get that many people to drop their headphones and “upgrade” to Bluetooth headsets nobody wants or seems to particularly like.
(via The Verge)