They really shot themselves in the foot with this one. The kind of people on the market for a device like Fairphone tend to appreciate features like this. There’s no downside to including a headphone jack even if you don’t need it.
It’s hard to make water/dust resistant devices with the 3.5mm jack. It was designed to be simple not water resistant. Contacts are close, it’s an hole so water and dust hang out there. Some problems are shared by more modern ports (e.g., iPhone not charging because dust in the lightning jack) but to less extent. This is why they disappeared.
Before it was a “must have” and producers had to either put more/better material or have a lower IP rations. After Apple showed that 90% of the people didn’t care, the others followed suits.
I am not saying it cannot be done, I am saying that it’s hard… that means more expensive… that means that either the final price is higher or the specs are lower or there are other compromises for reducing the cost (e.g., not updating the operating system)
I was a batch 2 owner of the FairPhone 1, the FairPhone 2, the FairPhone 3+ . . . and just a month ago upgraded to the new FairPhone 6. And a guy who absolutely loathes Bluetooth earbuds. Yet I don’t miss the 3.5mm jack for a simple reason . . . wired USB-C earbuds are a thing. I picked up a cheap set from JBL and never thought about the 3.5mm jack again.
Yes, I agree . . . they could have/should have stuck with it. But honestly . . it’s no huge loss.
Flying international from Australia I really miss headphone ports. The USB port is needed to keep the phone charged, since even the biggest batteries only give you about 4 hours of YouTube. My Bluetooth headphones last about 16hrs, so that’s almost enough. I usually carry alternative Bluetooth earbuds that last several hours to cover such gaps
They really shot themselves in the foot with this one. The kind of people on the market for a device like Fairphone tend to appreciate features like this. There’s no downside to including a headphone jack even if you don’t need it.
It’s hard to make water/dust resistant devices with the 3.5mm jack. It was designed to be simple not water resistant. Contacts are close, it’s an hole so water and dust hang out there. Some problems are shared by more modern ports (e.g., iPhone not charging because dust in the lightning jack) but to less extent. This is why they disappeared. Before it was a “must have” and producers had to either put more/better material or have a lower IP rations. After Apple showed that 90% of the people didn’t care, the others followed suits.
I don’t buy that. Samsung XCover 6 Pro has a headphone jack and a removable battery and it’s IP68 rated.
I am not saying it cannot be done, I am saying that it’s hard… that means more expensive… that means that either the final price is higher or the specs are lower or there are other compromises for reducing the cost (e.g., not updating the operating system)
I was a batch 2 owner of the FairPhone 1, the FairPhone 2, the FairPhone 3+ . . . and just a month ago upgraded to the new FairPhone 6. And a guy who absolutely loathes Bluetooth earbuds. Yet I don’t miss the 3.5mm jack for a simple reason . . . wired USB-C earbuds are a thing. I picked up a cheap set from JBL and never thought about the 3.5mm jack again.
Yes, I agree . . . they could have/should have stuck with it. But honestly . . it’s no huge loss.
Flying international from Australia I really miss headphone ports. The USB port is needed to keep the phone charged, since even the biggest batteries only give you about 4 hours of YouTube. My Bluetooth headphones last about 16hrs, so that’s almost enough. I usually carry alternative Bluetooth earbuds that last several hours to cover such gaps
Here you go: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Headphone-Earphone-Splitter-Compatible/dp/B08519D4R4