Why Samsung Ditched The Headphone Jack

Samsung recently unveiled its new Galaxy Note 10 phones and disappointed many fans when they discovered that it no longer had a

headphone

jack

. Now, Samsung's decision to ditch the

headphone

jack

is pretty ironic, considering they've spent the last three years criticizing Apple for doing the exact same thing. So in this video we're going to explore the path Samsung has taken over the last three years that ultimately led to the removal of the headphone jack from the Galaxy Note 10. I'm Greg with Apple Explained and I want to thank Ting for sponsoring this video. It's a mobile network that really makes sense, as you pay only for what you use, making the average Ting bill just $23 per device.

See how much you would save with Ting by clicking the link in the description. Now, if you want to help decide which video topics I cover, make sure you're subscribed and these voting polls will appear in your mobile activity feed. So when it comes to all this headphone jack drama, we have to start with the iPhone 7 in 2016. Because while there were smartphones without a headphone jack before, like the Moto Z, Apple was the first major manufacturer to remove it from its Very popular iPhone. And this caused all kinds of negative reactions from both users and competitors.

And this anger was largely justified as Apple admitted that it did a poor job of giving valid reasons for removing the headphone jack. Which, as Phil Schiller said, came down to one word: Courage. And boy did the Internet have fun with that. Just take a look at these comments from Macrumors, an Apple news site: “No headphone jack, no thanks. Cheer up, please.” "Courage? The courage to not buy an iPhone until they bring back the headphone jack. It's been over 100 years for a reason. Wireless is a pain when flying and using the phone in airplane mode..." “Yes "It takes courage to earn billions in additional sales because of this.

That's the motivation, nothing more." But Apple users weren't the only ones who shared their opinion. Google mocked the iPhone 7 in a promotional video. their new Pixel smartphone. When listing all the new features of the device, they included this. And Samsung quickly followed suit, releasing an ad titled "Growing Up" where they included this photo of a rather awkward-looking iPhone 7 Later on. 2018, Samsung released another ad that more directly attacked the iPhone X's lack of headphone jack. But despite these criticisms and more, the iPhone Which suggested that customers weren't too bothered by the lack of a headphone jack. And Apple stood by its decision to remove the connector from the iPhone 7, saying it allowed more space than needed for the Haptic Engine, a larger battery and IP7 water resistance.

I just wish they had mentioned those things during the iPhone reveal, instead of saying the decision was due to "courage," which only earned the company more criticism from the tech community. So after Apple took the initial media hit, suddenly the concept of removing the headphone jack from popular smartphones wasn't such a radical idea anymore. Because just a year after the iPhone 7, Google introduced the Pixel 2, which did not have a headphone jack. And then Huawei announced the Mate 20 Pro that didn't have a headphone jack, and then the HTC U12 Plus, the Pixel 3, and even Samsung's Galaxy Fold were all devices announced without a headphone jack.

Now, you can imagine how Apple must have felt to see the same companies that criticized them follow in their footsteps. And this is something we have seen time and time again. It happened in the '80s with the mouse, it happened in 1998 with the elimination of the floppy drive, it happened in 2008 with the elimination of the CD drive, it happened in 2010 when the iPad didn't support flash, and it's happening again. with the removal of the headphone jack. Every time Apple made these controversial decisions, the industry initially rebuked them, but always followed suit within a few years.

And it's because Apple understands when a certain technology is on the decline and is not afraid to adopt emerging technology as soon as possible. So when it comes to the headphone jack, Samsung's fate was sealed once they announced their Galaxy Fold. Now I should mention that the device is yet to go on sale after technical issues and hardware failures plagued the review units. But the moment Samsung gave up the headphone jack on its $2,000 Galaxy Fold, it was inevitable that it would eventually be removed from other devices. And on August 7th that is exactly what happened. Samsung introduced its new Galaxy Note 10 phones, none of which had a headphone jack.

The decision caused quite a bit of frustration among some Android users, who were not shy about sharing their opinions. “1080p, no headphone jack and no micro SD slot. If this is a sign of things to come, the options for replacing my S9 in the future look bleaker by the day. I already abandoned the iPhone ship because of this nonsense.” "Removing the headphone jack ends the discussion for me." "The lack of a 3.5mm jack is very disappointing and I don't like this trend in the industry at all." It's also worth noting that on the day of the Note 10's unveiling, Samsung removed its Ingenious ads from the internet, which mocked the iPhone for not having a headphone jack.

So the big question everyone was asking after the Note 10 reveal was why, after all these years of iPhone bashing, did Samsung join Apple in removing the headphone jack? And according to sources from Samsung itself, the jack had to disappear to make room for other components. Because the Note 10 and 10 Plus are so thin, they needed more space along the vertical y-axis to distribute the battery cells. Secure battery placement was also important, especially after the fiasco of the Note 7 explosion in 2016, where the devices' batteries barely fit into their thin bodies. Therefore, concerns about battery life and safety took priority over the headphone jack.

Additionally, according to the company's market research, most Galaxy Note users use wireless headphones with their device anyway. So why would they include a component that takes up so much valuable space if it wouldn't be used by most people? Now Samsung gave one more reason, but I'm not sure if it makes much sense. The lack of a headphone jack supposedly improves the Note 10's haptic feedback as there is no longer hollow space inside the phone, although this is a bit confusing as removing the stylus from the device would create even more empty space. So maybe that point is only true if the Note 10's stylus isn't in use.

Now, many of the reasons Samsung gave for removing the headphone jack are very similar to what we heard from Apple in 2016 with the iPhone 7. They needed space for features that were more important to users, and the headphone jack alone has become less important. year after year. Therefore, it was inevitable that companies like Google and Samsung would have to do the same to remain competitive. But there are some interesting theories floating around in the tech community that I think are worth mentioning. The biggest one is that Samsung is simply taking a page from Apple's marketing playbook to maximize its profits.

Because if you remember the iPhone 7, Apple didn't just remove the headphone jack and end the conference. In fact, they jumped right into the introduction of AirPods. Something that many people found suspicious. And when a YouTube channel called Stranger Parts posted a video titled “Bringing back the iPhone headphone jack, in China.” In fact, they were able to add a headphone jack to the iPhone 7 without sacrificing any other components in the process. By suggesting that Apple had room to add the headphone jack, they just decided to intentionally leave it out. And why would they do that? Well, to sell more AirPods.

According to this theory, Samsung is taking the same approach with its Galaxy Note 10 to boost sales of its Galaxy Buds, which were just updated earlier this year. Now there is no way to confirm whether this theory is true or not, but an increase in sales of wireless headphones is at least an unintended consequence of the removal of headphone jacks from smartphones. So what does this mean for the future of mobile devices? Well, it's pretty clear that the future is wireless. And someday we'll think about headphone jacks the same way we think about CD drives today. I don't even remember the last time I held a CD-ROM, much less used one on a computer.

And that's largely due to the digital revolution in music that spread to other industries. So in a world where all headphones are wireless, it will be difficult to imagine a reason for headphone jacks to exist, especially on mobile devices. But one thing I hope stays forever is Ting. A mobile operator that really makes sense. Because they charge you based on the amount of data you use, rather than an arbitrary amount each month. When you call them for help or support, you're talking to a real person at no additional cost. There are no holds, transfers or robots.

And because you only pay for what you use, the average Ting bill is just $23 per month per device. Now, if you're stuck in a contract but want to switch to Ting, they'll actually cover 25% of your cancellation fee, up to $75. So head over to ae.ting.com, you can find that link in the description and try their invoice estimator. Enter how many minutes, text messages, and how much data you use on average based on your last bill, and you can see how much you would save with Ting. Then, when you sign up with our link, you'll receive a $25 credit toward your service bill or a new device.

That link again is ae.ting.com. Alright guys, thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.