It Looks like Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Will Have a Headphone Jack

Megalith

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The Galaxy S9 will be the phone to get if you aren’t convinced that Bluetooth is adequate for quality audio: according to new images leaked by Evan Blass, Samsung’s upcoming flagship will definitely feature a 3.5mm port. The handset is expected to be unveiled later this month.

Samsung has kept the 3.5mm port on both the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 8 last year, but many others in the smartphone market — namely Google, Huawei, and Apple — have decided to do away with it.
 
Good news indeed. Using my phone for music source on the big stereo in my garage I can definitely tell a difference between FLAC files played through jack vs BT. Stereo separation being most noticeable.
 
This may be my next phone, if for no other reason than Apple's insistence on only allowing Apple Maps through Apple CarPlay. A 3.5mm headphone jack is icing on the cake.
 
Kudos to Samsung for this.

If I can get one with an unlocked bootloader I can put LineageOS on, this could be my next phone. (well, probably not, because my current phone is still fine, and by th etime it isn't there will be newer phones, but still..)

I wonder if it will have a microSD slot and a replaceable battery?
 
Great news to me! I have never understood manufacturers thinking that we want thinner and thinner phones. I'd much rather have a proper sized, removable battery, SD card and headphone jack than a paper thin phone. I can't be alone in that.
 
This may be my next phone, if for no other reason than Apple's insistence on only allowing Apple Maps through Apple CarPlay. A 3.5mm headphone jack is icing on the cake.
No Google Maps through Carplay?? Didn't know that... that would be a deal breaker for me.
 
Thus why my family has not updated from our iPhone 6s phones. Now Samsung has my attention.
 
Wanted to go pixel 2xl but after seeing wife's pixel 2's stupid USB-C headphone adapter intermittently fail- I'm gonna have to stick with Samsung
 
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Not an audiophile at all, but something about having a thin cord and two tiny ear buds makes me feel less goofy looking some of those people looking like an extra in an episode of Star Trek with this fat piece of plastic extruding from their ears
 
I love my LG V20 and Audi Technica headphones. Any Bluetooth audio I have listened to pops and cracks.

Not that Bluetooth hasn't improved, but I still rather have a corded connection. Using V20 with Westone W40 IEM here.
 
Good news indeed. Using my phone for music source on the big stereo in my garage I can definitely tell a difference between FLAC files played through jack vs BT. Stereo separation being most noticeable.

The method of transfer doesn't matter so much as does the device that does the digital to analog conversion. When you use a 3.5mm jack, the phones DAC (I'm guessing a Realtek chip) is doing the conversion. When you use BT, you headphones are. And guess what? Even the most generic phone DAC is going to be far superior to what is put inside a headset.
 
Great news to me! I have never understood manufacturers thinking that we want thinner and thinner phones. I'd much rather have a proper sized, removable battery, SD card and headphone jack than a paper thin phone. I can't be alone in that.

I tend to stick my phones in a Love Mei case, which adds like 1/4" or more on the top and bottom of the phone and increases thickness by like 3-5mm. As long as it fits into a coat pocket or a cargo pocket, I really don't give a damn how thin it is.

I just want a headphone jack and SD card slot. I'd care about a removable battery, only if all the companies standardized them and I can swap them between other phones. Otherwise, I carry around a battery pack. Usable on all phones and other electronic devices.
 
Great news to me! I have never understood manufacturers thinking that we want thinner and thinner phones. I'd much rather have a proper sized, removable battery, SD card and headphone jack than a paper thin phone. I can't be alone in that.

For many years now, I have not heard a single person mention size for a reason or want in a phone outside of BIGGER. The first response has been longer run time (bigger battery). Then camera, bigger battery, storage size, bigger battery, brighter screen, bigger battery, better speakers etc etc. For myself, most phones feel better with a case, as they are to thin as it is and last thing I want is a $1,000+ phone that's thin and slick making it hard to keep a grip on.

Wanted to go pixel 2xl but after seeing wife's pixel 2's stupid USB-C headphone adapter intermittently fail- I'm gonna have to stick with Samsung

I have to admit, I am liking my Pixel 2 XL less and less. USB-C headphone connection ALWAYS takes a number of seconds to recognize, so I get a few seconds of blaring sound before it swaps, in many cases I have to unplug and replug it back in a few times to get it to switch, and in more than a few cases I had to restart the phone. Then a few months back, an update was pushed that it made response to finger print unlocking till the time the screen came on 10 times longer. Before it was instant, now it's a very noticeable delay, all of this is unacceptable from a $1,000 phone.
 
Having a 3.5mm port is great but I wish they would get rid of the stupid curved screen. I would be all for getting a Galaxy S9 if they still have the option to get a regular flat screen. I guess I am stuck with my Galaxy S5 for a while longer.
 
Who isn't convinced Bluetooth is adequate for audio? I simply enjoy the wired headphones and buds I've got, and it appears to be less draining on battery life.
 
In case anyone is wondering, the S7 had one of the best DACs out of all phones on the market, so this isn't entirely unexpected. Samsung has always done their part to make sure audio is pleasant on their phones, same with HTC. Someone at Samsung definitely places importance on audio quality.
 
The method of transfer doesn't matter so much as does the device that does the digital to analog conversion. When you use a 3.5mm jack, the phones DAC (I'm guessing a Realtek chip) is doing the conversion. When you use BT, you headphones are. And guess what? Even the most generic phone DAC is going to be far superior to what is put inside a headset.
Not using headphones but that is a good point. My BT receiver to RCA device is not the best quality. Even so, I understand that BT compression can be a factor.
In case anyone is wondering, the S7 had one of the best DACs out of all phones on the market, so this isn't entirely unexpected. Samsung has always done their part to make sure audio is pleasant on their phones, same with HTC. Someone at Samsung definitely places importance on audio quality.
Not surprising.
Who isn't convinced Bluetooth is adequate for audio? I simply enjoy the wired headphones and buds I've got, and it appears to be less draining on battery life.
Adequate? Yes. But I listen with a good set of 5 way 15" speakers (top firing tweeter & midrange) and hung the ear buds that came with my Galaxy phone on one as a reminder. :)

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The sub-sonics in the Doom 2016 game soundtrack are amazing through these.
 

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Having a 3.5mm port is great but I wish they would get rid of the stupid curved screen. I would be all for getting a Galaxy S9 if they still have the option to get a regular flat screen. I guess I am stuck with my Galaxy S5 for a while longer.

This.
I don't like the curved screens. They are more likely to get damaged and don't add anything I need. One of the reasons I still use a Note 4.

Give me a phone with a flat screen, an SD slot, good camera, and long battery life.
A user replaceable battery would be best, but I'd settle for a battery that could be replaced in less than 15 minutes without any special tools.
 
Now if they'd stop with all the bloatware and go back to replaceable batteries. A boy can dream, right? I used to use pretty much only Samsung phones until they made it such a PITA to root the phones and install cleaner Android ROMS.

The last couple years have been good. Android phones don't really lag anymore like they used to. Besides you can always go and buy a Pixel if you want a clean Android experience, but then you'd miss out on all the Samsung enhancements which like I said doesn't lag the phone anymore like they used to.
 
Now if they'd stop with all the bloatware and go back to replaceable batteries. A boy can dream, right? I used to use pretty much only Samsung phones until they made it such a PITA to root the phones and install cleaner Android ROMS.

Galaxy s5 was the last one to have a replaceable battery. I'm keeping mine until it no longer does what I need it to do.
 
Samsung is always screwing around. Taking one thing away while bringing something new, then bringing back the thing they took away next round. I swear they do this shit to keep people constantly upgrading, I ain't fallin for it.
 
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I think we should go the opposite direction. Instead of getting rid of headphone jacks.... let's super size those back into 1/4" plugs. And get rid of ear buds, everyone has to use full sized old Koss headphones. Awww yisssss. Bonus points for using headphones with coiled cords!

Koss_PORTAPRO_PortaPro_Stereo_Headphones_1320412493000_574785.jpg
 
This may be my next phone, if for no other reason than Apple's insistence on only allowing Apple Maps through Apple CarPlay. A 3.5mm headphone jack is icing on the cake.

Apple will allow anything through Apple carplay... if companies are willing to develop the App...
 
The method of transfer doesn't matter so much as does the device that does the digital to analog conversion. When you use a 3.5mm jack, the phones DAC (I'm guessing a Realtek chip) is doing the conversion. When you use BT, you headphones are. And guess what? Even the most generic phone DAC is going to be far superior to what is put inside a headset.

Even if both used the same audio circuit, bluetooth is still inferior as all forms of bluetooth audio, including aptx, use lossy compression.
 
Great news to me! I have never understood manufacturers thinking that we want thinner and thinner phones. I'd much rather have a proper sized, removable battery, SD card and headphone jack than a paper thin phone. I can't be alone in that.

That was pretty much apple and their jacking off about making a phone .00000000025mm thinner and making a big hoopla out of it, it eventually became a "feature" year in year out. Making it thinner just gives them left space to work with so then they have to compromise more, i don't really get where this is going, to have them wafer thin at some point? Prefer features over making a phone so minutely thinner you need a vernier gauge to see any difference.
 
I think we should go the opposite direction. Instead of getting rid of headphone jacks.... let's super size those back into 1/4" plugs. And get rid of ear buds, everyone has to use full sized old Koss headphones. Awww yisssss. Bonus points for using headphones with coiled cords!

Koss_PORTAPRO_PortaPro_Stereo_Headphones_1320412493000_574785.jpg

Well there's no advantage to having a 1/4" plug versus a 3.5mm one, so let's not and say we did. But I use my phone with a pair of these:

Sennheiser HD 380 Pro
https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/4584281.jpg

So I can already agree with the rest of the post.
 
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