Ditching the headphone jack is not really an innovation

When it comes to technology, the evolution is quite straightforward. A more streamlined and powerful product ideally replaces the dated hardware or software. Over the years, we have seen how processors and cameras on smartphones have improved. Even in storage, floppy drives made way for optical media, which in turn caved in to flash storage. However, replacing the 3.5 mm jack with type-C USB port audio feels like an unnecessary move. What's worse is that ever since the rumour about Apple getting rid of the 3.5 mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 surfaced, other brands too have waged a war against the standard audio jack. Now let us see how it may affect us:

Manufacturers are justifying this move by dangling the carrot of "superior audio quality" in front of us consumers. According to them, the phone will output the pure digital audio, which is ideal for preserving the accuracy. This might sounds convincing. However, what they don't tell you is that human ears can listen to the audio only after it is converted from digital to analogue. In phone with 3.5 mm jack, the DAC (Digital-to-Analogue) converter sits on the mainboard. In case of handsets with USB audio out, this chip is placed inside the headphones.

So while it is true that the phone passes on the lossless audio, the possible degradation during the conversion is going to happen in the headphone anyway. Considering that the smartphones last longer and are generally cost most than the earphones, phone manufacturers are likely to use better quality DACs than the headphone makers. Therefore, I don't understand why it is necessary to kill the 3.5 mm jack for better audio quality.

Considering that the DAC will be placed in headphones, these accessories will cost more due to the additional components. At the same time, one less component is unlikely to bring down the smartphone prices.

A new standard also means that all the existing headphones will be incompatible with phones such as the LeEco Le 2, Le Max 2, and Moto Z. The possible solution is putting up with a type-C USB to 3.5 mm jack converter. Not saying how bad it is going to look, but not classy for sure.

The type-C USB port on these phones is used for audio output and charging the battery. Since there is only one port, you cannot connect the headphone and charge your phone simultaneously. Surprisingly, this is something you can easily do with phones with 3.5 mm jack. When did restricting usability become innovation? Now let us just hope that Apple retains the 3.5 mm jack in the next iPhone and sense will prevail in the industry.