A couple hours before I was on the edge of getting a Fairphone 5 but I read the specifications and didn’t see 3.5 mm audio jack anywhere. So I thought to myself…why? The community has been requesting this for a couple years ago now so why not. They’re already making money on the phone, they’re really pushing for people to get their wireless headphones? Just add the headphone jack, shouldn’t be too hard.
They said they’re treating their workers fairly, sourcing from ethical sources, renewable claims, repairability claims, and supporting foss projects (they donated a fp4 to CalyxOS to support development). All of these are amazing, so adding a little headphone jack shouldn’t be that hard in the grand scheme of all this.
*Add the headphone jack and I’ll be happy to support and get a fp5.
How is it obsolete, I understand a lot of people not needing it but all Audiophile products still need a physical connection in the form of 2.5, 3.5 or 4.4mm jack. 3.5mm has been a standard for the longest time.
I’d rather have that instead of a additional adapter to connect my iems. Only benefit in my case was that it allowed me to use a balanced connection for the same added cost.
Pfft, real audiophiles will use a DAC or a DAP
Although I’m not willing to carry something additional to my phone and earbuds to listen to music.
Not the biggest priority while mobile, wired would have a bigger impact except high impedance or low sensitivity gear.
You don’t need a DAC if the phone has a jack, you only need one if it doesn’t, you might need a DAC/AMP for some headphones but most cans people will carry on the move will run just fine off an inbuilt jack.
In my opinion, it’s obsolete or outdated standard when it comes to modern smartphones.
Of course adapters are not an optimal solution, but again, USB headphones are a thing… I definitely see the argument for wired headphones over wireless headphones, but I don’t see a reason why we should use 3.5 mm audio when we can simply use USB, which is an interface that is already the standard…
3.5mm is an audio source, USB is a data source. Any headphone with a USB plug also has to convert digital to audio, something your phone already does. USB is not a replacement by any means.
Audiophile grade gear are meant to be connected to variety of devices through a standard. I’m not asking for a cheap usb headphone just to remove a cable. You’re solving the wrong problem here.