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Has Audio Jack! (Comparison with other Pixel 4's) - https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_pixel?toggler0=Pixel+4+XL&toggler2=Pixel+4a https://store.google.c

• partiallypro 6y ago
  The 3A also has an audio jack. I frankly never use it, and sort of wish it weren't there. I wish they would maybe ship it with a thing you can put in the hole that closes it up to make it seamless, but can be removed.
  • edoceo 6y ago
    Flex Seal?
  • davidmurdoch 6y ago
    And I'm over here wishing I could pay an extra $350 to get a Pixel 5 with a headphone jack. To me, the Pixel 4a is pretty much a headphone jack with a free low-powered smartphone attached. Haha.
  • golem14 6y ago
    You mean, like those things ? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0832JRZZK https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0832JRZZK
    • partiallypro 6y ago
      I'd prefer one made by Google that just matches the phone and the curvature of the end. I don't know why I was downvoted...but some people don't need the headphone jack, but still want a reasonably priced phone. A simple fix is to just sell a plug that matches the phone.
      • rowanG077 6y ago
        It's really quite simple to make yourself. Just put some epoxy in there and shape it to the Phone.
        • p1mrx 6y ago
          How on Earth would you remove an epoxy plug?
          • frosted-flakes 6y ago
            You don't. The poster in question said he doesn't use it and wishes it wasn't there. Epoxy is an easy and permanent solution to that problem.
          • rowanG077 6y ago
            The post said he/she doesn't care about the port and would rather buy one without it. That means it doesn't require to be removeable.
      • golem14 6y ago
        I just did a quick amazon search - there are many versions of these plugs, there may be one that works well with the pixel. I actually realized I can get usb-c / lightning covers as well, which is great as all my phones get lint in there, eventually causing problems with charging.
      • thaumasiotes 6y ago
        > some people don't need the headphone jack, but still want a reasonably priced phone. A simple fix is to just sell a plug that matches the phone. Well, no, the simple fix is to ignore the headphone jack. If your needs are "reasonably priced phone", there's no reason to plug the jack. You'd have to have some other need, like "and it can't have a headphone jack".
      • postalrat 6y ago
        How bout a case that doesn't have an opening for the hole.
    • OnACoffeeBreak 6y ago
      Be careful with these things. They can trap moisture that would otherwise evaporate and cause corrosion.
• nemacol 6y ago
  Yes! I have a 3a and it has kept me using pixels mainly for this reason. #2 reason is the Polycarbonate unibody. Happy to see they are keeping it in future iterations of the 'a' series.
  • gopalv 6y ago
    > I have a 3a and it has kept me using pixels mainly for this reason Same here - I held onto my Pixel 1 & only jumped to 3A when it came out. Mostly it was that I had an existing wired setup fitted to my ears, but the real reason to hate BT was that I wasn't always charging them up. The airpods style charging case + a charging mat might have solved those problems, but the charger was more annoying than the wires themselves. I happily use bluetooth in the car, which doesn't have the same sort of "did I forget to charge it?" problems.
    • xmprt 6y ago
      Ironically I'm in the opposite boat where I use bluetooth almost always except for when I'm in my car and wire it to the AUX. That's probably because my car is really old but also because it's nice to not carry my phone around everywhere when I'm listening to something. With bluetooth I just leave the phone on the table and can move around the house pretty freely.
  • thaumasiotes 6y ago
    I have a 3a and it's mostly fine. But an obvious problem is that the touchscreen is activated by my leg. I had to actually lock the lockscreen just to prevent the phone from constantly opening random apps and providing random input.
    • nemacol 6y ago
      I have this issue as well. What do you mean "lock the lockscreen"
      • thaumasiotes 6y ago
• mschuetz 6y ago
  I was briefly considering buying an iphone for the first time ever, since I wanted a good camera phone. Scratched that idea when I learned that it didn't have an audio jack.
  • kharms 6y ago
    There is a little 3.5mm-to-lightning dongle that came with at least the iPhone 7. Not sure if it comes with the current model, but FYI. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMX62AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMX62AM/A/lightning-to-35...
    • mcaswell 6y ago
      It came with my 11 pro! Although I did immediately lose it...
      • foobarian 6y ago
        And you can't charge the phone while it's plugged in.
        • switch007 6y ago
          iPhones have had wireless charging for a while though. Not as convenient of course.
          • arvinsim 6y ago
            For me, it’s more of a problem with my iPad Pro. It’s not even about charging. It’s about having to buy a USB-C hub just to plug in my headphones and midi controller to my iPad Pro.
        • sharatvir 6y ago
          It’s possible if you use a wireless charger
        • 6y ago
• DanTheManPR 6y ago
  Excellent, this is now a top option for me!
• sg47 6y ago
  Best part of Pixel 3A too. I was wondering if I should switch to the iPhone but after playing around with an used iPhone, I decided to stick with my Pixel 3A and I'll most likely buy the 4A (since I cracked part of the screen on the 3A). I love that Google is releasing highly usable phones at a decent price range. Combined with prepaid plans, I can easily switch carriers or phones without worrying.
• thebean11 6y ago
  I know lots of people will be really happy with this, but I probably would have traded the jack for water resistance
  • 51Cards 6y ago
    Agree, water resistance would have been nice but it's not mutually exclusive to the headphone jack. Samsung was doing both for awhile.
    • userbinator 6y ago
      Indeed: https://www.cuidevices.com/waterproof-audio-jacks https://www.cuidevices.com/waterproof-audio-jacks
    • pixelatedindex 6y ago
      Sony as well! I miss my Compacts :-(
  • grishka 6y ago
    I'd have done the opposite as I never take my phone near water. But then I'm a weirdo who'd gladly pay $2000 for a 4" flagship if such a thing was for sale.
    • wutbrodo 6y ago
      Def not a weirdo thing. I got a 4" Galaxy S 1 in 2010 and have preferred it to every other phone size since. I dusted it off not that long ago to use overseas (it was my last GSM phone), and it was still the perfect size.
      • grishka 6y ago
        Your hands didn't grow — what a surprise! Honestly, I did try to embrace this trend by buying a Nexus 6P when it came out in 2015. I thought I'll just get used to it. I did not. Besides being a pain in the rear to use with one hand, it ripped holes through my pockets with its sharp corners. So when they then announced the (5") Pixel 1 a year later, I bought one immediately and it's still my primary phone. Still, it's a tad larger than would be comfortable, I find it that iPhone 5 (or 5S or 1st gen SE) is an ideal size for me. The only problem with these is that they run iOS.
• userbinator 6y ago
  A bit sad and amusing that a physical jack is actually considered a feature now... what's next, removable battery? Expandable storage?
  • tomcam 6y ago
    A boy can dream, can’t he?
  • dungdang 6y ago
    no one claimed it was a feature. it has a jack, some phones don't, so they state it does. this does not mean 'feature.' it's a part of the spec, so they list it. it's not sad or bad or good -it just is. for me, i want just usb-c, and no headphone port is a plus. same for sd card, same for removable battery. i thought all of those were important to me, until i realized i haven't actually used any of this in 10 years. yes, a headphone port adds just a tiny bit of thickness and weight. so does the removable battery. so does an sd reader. it all adds up, and adds a little cost. for things i don't want. so not a feature, not advertized as one, and for a lot of people, not something they want. you do, so get the phone that suits you.
    • justin66 6y ago
      > no one claimed it was a feature. it has a jack, some phones don't, so they state it does. this does not mean 'feature.' I wonder what you believe the word "feature" means.
      • dungdang 6y ago
        well, clearly you believe on a car, the part of the spec that says 'axles: 2' is a feature. along with everything else in the spec.
        • chrismcb 6y ago
          Yes, and it is a good feature. I don't really want a car with 1 axles. And tires are expensive enough, so I don't want one with three axles. Just because it is not an awesome, whiz bang feature, doesn't mean it isn't a feature
• Kiro 6y ago
  I'm glad there's an option for people who are into vintage technology like headphone jacks. Maybe they can add phonograph cylinders to the next version.
  • greggman3 6y ago
    Problems with wireless headphones over wired 1. batteries run out and can't use until recharged. Even if that only took 10 minutes I wanted to use my headphone now, not later. 2. batteries die and are not replaceable. Bad for both pocketbook and the environment 3. interference can make them unusable. Try walking through a crowded train station and you'll find you get about 2 seconds of audio for every 5 seconds of nothing. 1 step forward (no wires) 3 steps back.
    • Kiro 6y ago
      Very weak arguments that you could say about anything with a battery. Never had any of the problems you describe. Even the most stubborn conservatives like yourself will give up sooner or later. You're already in minority. Wireless headphones are no different than any other technological advancements.
      • bigbluedots 6y ago
        Until wireless headphones can reproduce audio with the same quality as wired, I'm out.
      • ck425 6y ago
        Well yeah, I think we'd agree that most non-battery based electronic devices are superior to any equivalent device that relies on a battery. You're not refuting anything with that statement. The fact is performance wise wired headphones are still just better, as well as far cheaper for audio quality.
    • breuleux 6y ago
      It's a different trade-off for everyone, but I think you're underestimating the QOL improvement of "no wires". 1. No wire randomly snagging on door handles and other objects. 2. No forgetting your phone is on the table when getting up and yanking it off the table with the wire. 3. You can switch the source with a click, e.g. if you're listening to music on your phone and want to watch something on your computer. 4. It doesn't really matter where the source is: while having a meeting on your computer you can seamlessly get up and make yourself some tea while you keep talking and listening. 5. No physical connection to erode. Maybe I'm doing something terrible, but I've had issues with the headphone jack with nearly every phone I've had and nearly every headphones I've owned. It wears out, somehow. It's well worth it for me, but I can't speak for anyone else obviously.
• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• Impossible 6y ago
  The return of the audio jack is great news. I spent years hoarding 3.5mm to USB-C convertors and fight audio issues, including months without USB-C audio working for no apparent reason, and having to work around it with blue tooth headphones, which are ok when I remember to charge them...
• pixelmonkey 6y ago
  One of the biggest differences between the 4a and the older 4 and 4 XL is that the 4a has a rear fingerprint reader, whereas the 4 and 4 XL want you to use face unlock. So strange that this isn't emphasized (or even mentioned) on the comparison page. This was actually the primary thing that kept me on a Pixel 2 for so long, since it also has a similar rear fingerprint sensor design (and I just pre-ordered the Pixel 4a today). I can't be the only one who greatly prefers a rear fingerprint sensor to face unlock, especially in our new world order with widespread mask wearing -- but, even before! It's so much faster and less finicky. (The new model's fingerprint sensor is also so subtle on the chassis on the phone that you can just barely make it out in the photograph of the phone's back shown on the comparison page. But if you squint, you'll see it. It's also discussed in many of the reviews.)
  • utopcell 6y ago
    Pixel 3 also has a fingerprint reader in the back.
    • tracker1 6y ago
      While that's fair, very few people are (nor should they) swapping out their devices every year.
      • dgacmu 6y ago
        I agree, but in this case, the delays in releasing the 4a mean that the pixel 3 was released 22 months ago. (Mine is starting to die, between a bad screen crack and a battery that dies by 2pm.)
  • dangus 6y ago
    I recently went back to an iPhone 6s while my iPhone XS was in for repairs. Boy, did I miss FaceID (though some of the pain was also due to the change in certain key combinations and gestures between home button and notch iPhones, I had to go back in time and re-learn some old habits). Why did I miss it? Because FaceID will unlock the notification area and its associated actions before I perform any action or even touch the phone. Let’s say I get a text, my phone is on the night stand. I just look at it and it already unlocks, no reaching. It lets you skip a step and start interacting with the screen before the phone has unlocked. Perhaps less of a big deal with the back-mounted fingerprint sensor, in that case I could interact with the thumb simultaneous to unlocking the back. Using password managers was another big one. Instead of tapping the auto fill button, then tapping the fingerprint sensor, it was all one click. Opening bank apps, same thing. FaceID is always one less finger motion. Mask wearing has thrown a wrench into it but Apple has added logic to quickly bring up the pin pad when it detects a face mask. Also, sometimes it seems to learn my masked face, but that’s less reliable. I don’t know how this compares to Pixel face unlocking at all, admittedly. And I never understood why Apple didn’t use the rear mounted fingerprint sensor. But I do understand why they think the benefits of face unlocking outweigh the drawbacks. Some examples not related to the action of unlocking: when your alarm goes off, the noise gets quiet when you look at the phone. Also, the screen won’t time out and turn off while your eyes are looking at it.
• p1necone 6y ago
  One day we'll have wireless earbuds with batteries that last forever and lossless audio over whatever signal format they use and Apple will be hailed as ahead of the curve for removing the headphone jack before everyone else, conveniently ignoring the fact that missing a headphone jack when wireless headphones are not perfect is just a straight up downside.
  • sjwright 6y ago
    If what you want is wired earbuds that connect directly to a jack on the phone, nothing has changed. Such earbuds still ship with iPhones today. If you want to use wired headphones, the $9 adapter works well. Wireless headphones are also widely available and have batteries that last all day. I realise the above doesn’t perfectly cater to all customers, but anecdotally it seems to cater well enough to enough of them.
    • p1necone 6y ago
      The main issue for me personally is not being able to charge and listen to audio at the same time. The main use case for headphones on my phone for me is watching streaming video in bed and that drains the battery pretty fast. I know there's a (kind of bulky) dongle for charging + headphones, but I'd rather buy a device that has the ports I need already. The $9 adapter is cool though. Afaik it's pretty much the best budget usb dac around.
      • doubleunplussed 6y ago
        I bought one of those adaptors, and whilst it worked with my charger at home, when I really needed it on a plane, my phone thought it was supposed to charge the plane :/. I've pre-ordered the pixel 4A. My phone was dying anyway, but I'm going to like having a headphone jack again.
      • sjwright 6y ago
        I understand the earbud+charging dilemma; my wife had the exact same bedtime use case issue. I bought her an Anker PowerPort Wireless 5 stand which holds the phone vertically. Its non-rapid charging speed is not an issue when the phone is charged overnight. (In fact the slow speed is probably good for battery longevity.) As for myself, I bought Bose QC35's prior to upgrading to my first jackless iPhone so I was never affected by its absence. I almost never use earbuds.
• dilandau 6y ago
  Rightful king of the top comment. I got a phone that is just usb-c. Carrying around the adapter sucks, and Bluetooth is an even bigger pain in the ass.
• quoyn 6y ago
  Not sure if joking but to serious users this is really important - you can just plug in your headphones and it works - you don't need to worry about which device the phones are connected to this time (I pair my bt headphones with many devices) or signal noise (I still have this problem when using wifi and bluetooth at once). There are even Android devices dedicated for audophiles like new Sony Walkman!