The thinness wasn't the problem - there are hundreds of phones thinner than an iPhone 7 that still have the 3.5mm jack (e.g. Galaxy A8 is 5.9mm compared to iPho

The thinness wasn't the problem - there are hundreds of phones thinner than an iPhone 7 that still have the 3.5mm jack (e.g. Galaxy A8 is 5.9mm compared to iPhone 7's 7.1mm). The problem was the increased space required for the taptic engine.