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For me, I already own a number of headphones/earbuds that I really like for different situations. They all "just work" when you plug them in. I don't have to wo
by cypherpunks01 4y ago
For me, I already own a number of headphones/earbuds that I really like for different situations. They all "just work" when you plug them in. I don't have to worry about the headphones running out of batteries, and don't have to worry about additional power draw from using headphones when I have to stretch battery life for whatever reason, e.g. backpacking or in an emergency or if I just forgot to charge my phone. I don't have to buy new headphones regularly.
Bluetooth has gotten better over the years but it's certainly still buggy, at least with Android. I don't like the environmental impact of buying unnecessary electronics, particularly battery-powered ones, constantly just to be able listen to music. I like technology that can "just work" every time without the constraints or anxiety. I don't like having wireless transmitters directly on my head or in my ear when it can be easily avoided, even if I know they are low power.
I am lucky that I could afford the added cost of wireless headphones if I wanted them, but with billions of people not able to afford basic expenses and phones increasingly required to live a life these days, it seems fairly cynical to industry-wide remove an obvious cheap feature and force everyone to much higher-cost and higher-resource consumption technology. Yes I acknowledge the Pixel line is not a budget item, I just mean for this type of change in general.
- BizarroLand 4y agoDo you have anything against USB-C to 3.5 adapters? They're pretty cheap, it wouldn't be a huge stretch to buy one for every pair of headphones you regularly use. https://www.ebay.com/itm/324680368007 https://www.ebay.com/itm/324680368007 is one that looks like it would do the job.
- cypherpunks01 4y agoYeah, nothing extreme against those adapters, that will certainly be the way to go for me if I end up with a phone without headphone jack. I just don't love how they stick out and can snag things more easily in my pocket or bag, but I'd probably put up with it. How long until USB-C is discontinued and all phones are zero port?
- amrocha 4y agoFor what it's worth, I went through the same internal debate, and bought a pixel with the Apple adapter since it was highly recommended. The adapter is awful, my headphones randomly stop working if I move too much, I constantly have to plug it on and off again, etc. Yeah, it's probably because I damaged it, but with the way it dangles off the phone and snags on everything there's no way it wasn't gonna get damaged.
- toastercat 4y agoI actually found out the hard way that a lot of these adapters are trash and completely ruin the audio signal, or don't work with all devices due to the lack of a DAC or just having a bad quality DAC. Unfortunately, if you want to buy a good and reliable one, you should probably spend at least $15-$20 on one. I've had luck with the Anker-branded one, though the audio quality is noticeably worse than when I used a phone with a direct 3.5mm port. YMMV.
- Timshel 4y agoInitially though that the connection was stronger on the jack port than the usb-c but they appear to be quite similar and searching for rating they are both around 10k cycles. Still I probably put more strain on the jack port than the usb-c, when used only for charging, so if the first one fails at least it does not brick my device. And i can still charge while listening to music :). Edit: probably would not buy the adapter you linked put even more strain on the port but corded one exists.