Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) made a bold move last year when it revealed the $700 iPhone 7 without a headphone jack. The change seemed unnecessary and rushed, and it only made customers and reviewers angry.
The audio jack might be the oldest technology in a mobile device, but it is a standard plug that we can find anywhere. The iPhone 7 has a single USB Type-C port so it forces users to buy extra cables and adapters to do simple tasks like charging the phone while listening to music.
The “courageous” decision by the company was an obligatory extra investment on a dongle or wireless headphones. And the timing could not be better for the $159 AirPods with lackluster audio quality.
It seems Apple gave way to the new technology trends, once again. For now, it is just a rumor, but it seems like Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) may ditch the audio jack as well. The leak came from an internal Google document that 9to5 Google managed to obtain. There is no second source yet, but the text clearly states the Pixel 2 won’t feature the classical audio input.
The jack-less mobile market
9to5 Google assures the language the document uses leaves no place for doubt, but the webpage states they can’t show it without putting the source at risk.
A separate trickster told 9to5Google that the company has been testing Pixel 2 models with different chipsets, some of them with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 83X processors, and others with Intel cores. The tipster didn’t said anything about the audio input, so it it’s possible that Google is yet to make a final decision.
When the Mountain View Company announced the first Pixel flagship, they specifically said it had an audio jack. It was a key feature over Apple’s current offering, and they sold it as stating there was no need to eliminate a comfortable technology to plunge into the future.
In fact, Google touted the jack as “satisfyingly not new” in the first video ad of the first-gen Pixel flagships.
If both Apple and Google ditch the 3.5mm jack it means other companies will surely follow. Smartphone makers will soon cash in on their customers buying extra dongles, adapters, and wireless gadgets to support the jack-less mobile devices.
Anti-wireless customers can still have their hopes up, though, as Samsung is including the input in the upcoming Galaxy S8.
The camera will be a main feature of the Pixel 2
Other rumor surrounding the upcoming Pixel 2 is waterproof materials, which is “still on the table.” The next-gen Pixel may as well bring their camera as a focus point, with the same MP size but with extra features to improve the quality of the pictures.
The Pixel and Pixel XL both feature the best smartphone cameras in existence. DxoMark, the official smartphone camera reviewer, gave the Pixel 89 points out of 100 in the department. Close contenders re the iPhone 7 Plus with 86 points, the LG V20 with 85 points, or the Huawei Mate 9 with 85 points as well.