this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2024
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Cool. How about a repairable phone with a headphone jack? I'll be a day one buyer.
The Framework 16 notebook doesn't even have a headphone jack, only a USB-C to jack adapter.
It's one of the slot in ones though right? so it doesn't really count - it effectively integrated.
It counts because the adapter slot cannot be used for something else. It is different with the smaller 13 inch model.
Or let's not because that isn't what happened in the 13 inch model.
Point is: Placing hope into a Framework phone with a headphone jack is IMO misplaced based on Framework's most recent track record. Not even Apple got rid of headphone jacks in MacBook Air.
As someone with the 13, I would prefer the 6 slots on the 16 to the 4+headphone jack on the 13.
The best part of the modular slots is you can swap the side the jack is on for whatever works best or have it on both. (Through the magic of buying two of them.) Also if something goes wrong with the jack it's significantly easier to replace.
If you think that getting rid of the headphone jack would result in more slots, you're out of touch with reality. There would be an additional slot on the other side of the chassis where there is no headphone jack, so 5 overall. But there aren't. The headphone jack has absolutely nothing to do with the number of slots. Audio output is a tiny component.
Well.. yeah. The 13 is smaller. I bought it before the 16 was a thing. The geometry as designed doesn't allow 3 banks of slots.
I'm just saying, the 16 having 6 total slots, one or more of which can be an audio jack, is an upgrade. I have the audio jack module anyway specifically because it occasionally works better to have the jack on the right side of the laptop instead of the left, and then the built-in jack is vestigial.
It not being mega-ultra-built-in doesn't matter.
I don't even use built-in headphone jacks anymore. I use external DACs with 2.5, 4.4 and quarter inch. Good thing for me that I can get an extra port while others can use a headphone jack still.
Modular ports would be great. I’d love to have two USB ports on a phone rather than a USB and headphone jack.
My personal Framework 13 can charge from either the left or right side USB-C ports, and my work Lenovo Thinkpad can charge from either the dedicated USB-C slot, or the USB-C dock port. Point is, as USB-C gains more widespread adoption, limiting a device to only using one port for charging is becoming much less common.
That said, Framework does point out that not all the expansion bays can deliver/receive the same amount of power and they recommend (at least for the 13) to only use the rear ports for charging.
I'm pretty sure that a USB hub would work at least on Android, giving you as many ports as you want.
Repairable, open phone, you can load whatever OS you want. A phone that is more akin to a computer than a smartphone. A pinephone, but better.
If you don't care about 3.5mm a FairPhone comes pretty close to that description.
Why not just use type c headphones?
The 3.5mm thing has always baffled me, it feels like complaining your pc doesn't have a VGA port, except the thing you connect costs like a fiver
Alas I have but one upvote to give.
You forgot that 3.5mm is a stupid connector that makes you pass charged metal pieces over the connector to plug it in. You can't power an anc chip or a dsp with it because it can't do power delivery. That's how you get headphones sounding different based on whether they are turned on
Just replace my perfectly good $200 headphones that work in my (old) phone, my Switch, my 3DS, my laptop, my iPod, and my work phone.
It's so simple!
Seriously, even if you don't use it, why are you so against others having the choice? The headphone *jack was the standard for decades for a reason. If my phone is low on power, I'd like to be able to charge it without disconnecting my music/podcasts...
But like, 3.5 to usbc is a 10 buck conversion. Tbh i see merit in double usb c over usbc and headphone jack, might be more doable too, the DAC prolly takes more space than an additional usbc
A dongle is a workaround. The headphone jack just works.
I hear you, but a usb-c has more uses than one, the only real problem with a dongle is now is that occasionally you need to charge.
It's not a work-around, a headphone requires a DAC and an amp. In fact, my phone has a crap DAC causing artifacts in the sound. It's actually not to my benefit to have the jack because I'd get better sound with the external DAC which is transparent.
So the jack works, but the DAC you get can be whatever the manufacturer considers good enough.
DACs I can hear issues in:
My phone, my tablet, my desktop PC
DACs that are transparent to me:
My laptop, my $12 external DAC
Framework also uses a USB-C adapter. It costs 20 Euro: https://frame.work/products/audio-expansion-card
That's great! But Framework also includes an audio jack built-in. As should everyone.
Nope, the new 16 inch does not. The older 13 does.
What?! That's ridiculous. Hotswap ports are great for high throughput devices requiring PCIe lanes, but taking the audio port out gains you literally nothing. There should be some standard ports + hotswappable ports.
I also wish they could find a way to redesign the Ethernet port with a hinged jaw or something so it isn't so massive, I wouldn't want to leave that plugged in.
Oh, the 13. That's what I was looking at.
A dongle is a solution to the problem "I want to use my headphones with a device with only a USB-C port."
At the time, there weren’t really many good options for replacement devices.
Using the charging port means listening to music and charging at the same time wasn’t possible.
Now we have split-cable dongles for power banks, and we have wireless charging when possible. It’s better but it’s not great; both have downsides, and accessories are more $.
Do they make type C headphones with a powerbank in them? Do I want a lithium battery that large on my head?
There aren’t many upsides for the consumer or the environment. Still seems to me like this isn’t even a lateral move. Internal components have gotten smaller and more efficient since, so that space could be reclaimed. I really don’t need my phone to be that thin, a phono jack next to the charging port would be just fine. The only real downside might be waterproofing but if you can make it work for the type C port…
A Framework phone with 2 modular Framework sockets would be amazing. I don't care if it's thick. Make it repairable and support Linux Phone OSes like postmarketOS and I would absolutely buy it.
I would like a phone that has a removable battery, user replaceable screen, and expandable storage. I think Framework would do well to add one or two of their modular slots on the phone since phones already have USB-C support. I would also love to see a phone keyboard similar to the PinePhone keyboard case but using USB-C instead of I2C. Such a case could also incorporate a USB-C dock, providing more Framework module slots or at least additional USB ports, video outputs, an extended capacity battery (using USB-PD to charge itself as well as the phone), and of course also being a tiny keyboard clamshell that fits in your pocket. It could also be nice if the phone could easily detach from said case for taking calls, as the PinePhone keyboard replaces the back cover and does not separate easily when needed.
I have some of those tiny keyboards, but the PinePhone keyboard case is far more convenient to use as a mini on the go PC than a separate keyboard. If such an all in one option existed for more powerful hardware it would be amazing. I love the idea of a phone that doubles as a true pocket laptop including connectivity options.
I have seen the GPD devices before and if they were a bit smaller (phone sized) and had cell capability maybe that would be a good option. As is, they are not small enough to be in a separate category than the Steam Deck IMO, and I already have a Steam Deck. I also like the idea of the keyboard being detachable as sometimes the phone form factor is desirable, like when holding it up to your ear.
Yup. All I need from a phone is:
If I could get that and be able to run full desktop applications when docked, I'm sold. The Pinephone Pro looks super cool, but I'm not sure if MMS works and battery life is apparently pretty bad. I don't even need a decent camera, though gaming a camera is useful to capture QR codes and whatnot.
I'm looking at getting a Pixel to use GrapheneOS, but I'd buy a framework phone with good hardware if it was available.
I want a phone that:
I already have plenty of ways of running desktop applications on big screens. I have a laptop, I have a desktop, I have a Steam Deck. However, my phone is always on me and those devices aren't. Linux phone is awesome because I can always have the applications I need literally in the palm of my hand, and if not they're just an apk or flatpak install away. I've been working on tweaks and utilities to make the experience of using desktop applications easier on mobile Linux, including a virtual mouse using the touchscreen and now working on a Phosh plugin to quickly change screen scaling. A pocket keyboard accessory would make using said desktop applications even easier. I've done quite a bit of coding, compiling, and dabbled in image editing on my mobile devices.
My daily driver phones at the moment are a OnePlus 6 running stock Android (because Linux isn't quite 100% yet) and a OnePlus 6T running postmarketOS. I got a cheap Mint SIM in both phones. Android phone for my calls, texts, camera, and occasional Google apps (mainly maps) usage. Linux phone for everything else, mainly my pocket computer on the go. I used to carry the PinePhone with keyboard, but even with the keyboard case the battery life was awful and it got super hot and it was slow. The OnePlus 6T with pmOS gets surprisingly good battery life. I can't daily drive the 6T due to the lack of VoLTE, which means calling falls back on the 2G network which they are shutting down very soon. Luckily, someone is working on reverse engineering VoLTE bringup and released a proof of concept daemon to enable it. I've successfully made VoLTE calls but it doesn't always enable and audio sometimes breaks.
I feel like the Pinephone Pro is super close to being what I want, so I think Framework could totally take it the rest of the way. They could ship with AOSP, but also support Linux mobile as well.
I'm a developer and I'm totally willing to help with the rest of the little things, but it needs to fulfill my basic requirements first. If parts are easy to replace (e.g. upgrade the camera by sliding in a new one w/ USB-C), I'd pay a premium for it even if the actual functionality kinda sucks.
I would pay a stupid amount of money for one that sits on the back and slides out the side in landscape.