Samsung are going to make a move bound to be unpopular with a few when they release the Galaxy S8 next February, according to reports. Sammobile are reporting this morning that the 3.5mm headphone jack won’t be making an appearance on Samsung’s next flagship, meaning that all existing headphones will be incompatible without an adaptor of some sort. Likely Samsung will take a similar approach to Apple and Motorola in ditching the 3.5mm jack, including an adaptor in the box to allow users to use their legacy headsets with the new phone.
Like the Galaxy Note 7, the Galaxy S8 will make the switch from MicroUSB to USB-C, so if you’ve been holding off making the change to USB-C cables, one of the most popular handsets on the market will lose the aging port in its next release.
It’s hard to know how Samsung will sell the move, though at the end of the day, I doubt many beyond the vocal minority will really care; Bluetooth headphones are so cheap and ubiquitous these days that ditching the 3.5mm jack is unlikely to cause major upset. More likely, the move will allow Samsung to make the S8 a little thinner than its predecessor, perhaps freeing up space inside for a larger battery as well.
With its acquisition of audio company Harman, there’s the rumour (if not likelihood) that Samsung will include stereo speakers in the S8 for the first time in its flagship line, a pitch to those who consume media on their devices without headphones (i.e. the bane of public transport).
All we really know for sure is that Samsung will reveal something at Mobile World Congress 2017, and we’ll be there to see what it is and tell you all about it. If you’re looking forward to our MWC coverage, why not show your support to help us cover the cost of getting there?
