Android

I basically don't notice that I don't have a headphone jack. My usb-c adapter is just permanently affixed to my wired IEMs and it basically makes no difference to me if the plug is round or usb-c shaped.

I definitely recommend biting the bullet and getting a good adapter. Since I have a pixel I use the Google one. I made sure my partner got an official apple one for their iPhone since I remember seeing rumors about a volume difference between them if mixed and matched. Aside from Apple shenanigans I haven't really had an issue with them. I also only charge at night so I never have the problem of needing to charge and listen at the same time.

I am about to switch to a pixel 7a from a 3a and am facing this issue. My wired ear buds date to some type of sandisk mp3 player I bought about 15 years ago and are pretty rough, so I have been looking at my wired options. Thanks for this post!

I just keep buying phones with headphone jacks. I use bluetooth headphones too, but have a wired set for fallback, especially when travelling.

Also, if you're on a call or vc, a good wired set wth a well placed mike on the wire (e.g. marshall mode) gives you better sound quality and better exclusion of environment noise than any bluetooth headphones, and you don't have to worry about earbud batteries running out mid call.

It limits phone selection a lot, but so far there has been good phones with headphone jacks every time

"USB-adapter" in this context used to be quite a shitshow.

I've seen at least the bastardisations of the USB-c spec where manufacturers just repurpose a couple of pins for analog audio. One for samsung, one for Xiaomi etc.

I hope most have gone over to being proper USB soundcards with a DAC today.

I got some bose bluetooth headphones probably 7-8 years ago at this point and they're still working fine. I hate earbuds, personally, so that was never an option. I do hate having one more thing to charge and possibly die, but the noise canceling is also super helpful so that's fine for me. I've had zero problems with google assistant or anything else, but I'm pretty sure I have it mostly disabled on my phone.

I initially held on to the headphone jack but nowadays I've completely stopped caring. My Galaxy Buds 2 Pros are pretty dang good even by audiophile standards and the convenience of TWS is quite nice. For my wired IEMs the 9$ Apple dongle works just fine with my Galaxy S24+. Nowadays some IEMS also have USB-C version and I suspect that this trend will continue. Like it or not that jack will eventually become a thing of the past on the vast majority of consumer electronics, not just on phones.

My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy A32, the last in the A3x line that has one. It's really nice to have a headphone jack because... well, you plug your pair in, and it just works. You don't have to worry about Bluetooth connections, or another battery that will die one day that you constantly have to recharge. Also, you get FM radio functionality on your phone, which isn't really useful, but it's pretty fun to mess with. I'm surprised Apple never had it on the iPod Touch despite the Nano and Classic both having it (some with a special accessory that unlocks the feature, some have it built in).

Also, support for my phone ends on Android 13 (One UI 5.1), meaning if I want new features (or even emoji updates), I have to get a newer phone, and that means either getting a lower tier model to keep that headphone jack at the cost of performance, or getting the same tier (or higher) at the cost of the jack. And I was never convinced by other Android phone manufacturers either, especially since companies like OnePlus don't sell their products in my country, so my options are either Samsung, Google, or a whole bunch of Chinese companies, many have really terrible skins of Android. Either that or I get an iPhone, and none of the ones that are currently supported have the headphone jack. So I guess I'm sticking with my A32 until the day it nukes itself.