Our 'Weekend Discussion' series asks questions and "what if" scenarios to our readers about how they use their smartphones, laptops, or other portable devices with the intention of encouraging insightful discussions. For this week, we want to know how you would feel about potentially losing the 3.5 mm audio jack on your next Ultrabook purchase.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Weekend-Discussion-Would-you-care-if-your-next-laptop-had-no-3-5-mm-audio-jack.434781.0.html
Not really, I use either an external DAC or just wireless headphones depending on where I am.
I dont even remember a time when i used this.
I still refuse to buy a smartphone without a headphone jack so probably wouldn't like it. Granted I wouldn't buy an ultrabook anyway due to usually not liking their keyboards
personally i use i use the jack on my laptop religiously and so many of my friends do too, but if my laptop didn't come with one i'd buy an usb dac just so i can use the jack. Still prefer if it comes with one though
I use pro audio applications. That means i mainly use an audio interface and external amp. But for quick checks, 3.5 mm is necessary.
Phone or Laptop. It has to have a headphone jack, notebookcheck should do a list of 10 smartphones with a headphone jack
The last 5 years do not use. I have Marshall wireless.
Yes I would actively avoid buying any PC without a 3.5 mm jack. I am not "afraid of change", I like having choices and options that enable more possibilities.
I care about it more on my cellphone than my laptop, but I'd only tolerate it if I get an extra USB-C port and a free adapter.
My last laptop had 2 headphone jacks, dedicated mic port and SPDIF.
Current one has 1 audio jack, 1 mic, 1 SPDIF.
To drop jack completely? You having a laugh?
I might not use these ports regularly, or hardly ever but I'm still glad they are there. It's not like laptops don't have room to fit in few extra ports.
Lemme start by saying your website, and what you do, is really really good.
I will not consider a laptop without a 3.5mm headphone jack, cuz I see good wired headphones as absolutely necessary to everyday life with a laptop. I'm never a fan of over the ears headsets, and true wireless earphones still don't have enough battery life to take away my battery anxiety. Plus, why banish the jack for all laptops, when most 13in laptops have more than enough room for all kinds of ports and a battery that can last a day? Does not make any sense.
You can argue that a phone can do without a 3.5mm jack, with somewhat legit reasons (I disagree with all of them, cuz Huawei P30 has a jack, and still outperforms most phones in all areas), but most of the arguments that apply to phones do not apply to laptops, unless you're an Apple fanboy.
It's okay to get rid of a jack on 13 inch ultrabook. But I don't need thin laptop nor 13 inch laptop. So on 14 inch and bigger 3.5 jack is a must have because DJs use them, audiophiles also use them and listen to the music on a hi-end headphones. It can be excused on a phone but not on a laptop to get rid of a jack.
Because of how is 3.5Jack used, I would welcome then +1 USB port and reduction to 3.5 jack. Otherwise it would be downgrade.
If it saves 1 € to build... I prefer to pay that extra €. No real reason to take it out. I use it quite often.
So you're telling me that laptops can be so thin and/or lack so much space that they can't even have a 3.5mm headphone jack?
Sorry, I'm not buying this.
Quote from: vrvly on September 14, 2019, 12:25:59
Because of how is 3.5Jack used, I would welcome then +1 USB port and reduction to 3.5 jack. Otherwise it would be downgrade.
I would also tolerate such a tradeoff on a smartphone, however such tradeoff has never been the case has it? Ironically the only smartphone with 2 C ports (that I know of) also has a 3.5mm jack, ROGP2.
But I believe it would have to be another 3-4 years before any PC manufacturer could even remotely justify removing the 3.5mm port, other than Apple that is.
Thickness and room for other components. That's the excuse use to get rid of 3.5mm jack both on phone and laptop.
As for thickness, I can justify it if the laptop is less that twice the thickness of a 3.5mm jack. Any thicker and thickness excuse goes out the window.
As for room for other components, I don't know anything that could be as useful and require the tiny amount of space used by jack components. Show customers some schematics to highlight what can or cannot be done with that space and let them vote. Specially those who preorder them. Or better yet, make it optional. If ever demand wasn't enough for it, then they're justified to get rid of it.
However both of these conditions are not met almost anywhere, and I think they won't be for a long time. So removing the 3.5 jack isn't in customer's best interests.
The 3.5mm jack is my most frequently used port on my laptop, I don't buy phones without it and I will certainly not buy a laptop without it.
I use my headphones a lot and I prefer cables. Carrying adapters feels like a bad tradeoff (it's not really a big port, after all) and wireless connections need batteries and are still wonky sometimes - not to mention the risk of having to rely on DRM systems that might stop working when companies no longer support certain services, transfer protocols or such... 3.5 mm is wonderfully analogue. ;)
What's most important on my next laptop though is having separate physical buttons for the touchpad so I can do advanced work comfortably, use middle-click actions easily, never accidentally click on something and never have to use uncomfortable gestures for simple things. These days I just look at a picture of a new model and immediately know if I want it or not - no physical touchpad buttons - no deal. But that is an entirely different discussion for another day! ;)
No jack, no money, sorry.
Quote from: Daniel Eriksson on September 14, 2019, 23:32:42
What's most important on my next laptop though is having separate physical buttons for the touchpad so I can do advanced work comfortably, use middle-click actions easily, never accidentally click on something and never have to use uncomfortable gestures for simple things. These days I just look at a picture of a new model and immediately know if I want it or not - no physical touchpad buttons - no deal. But that is an entirely different discussion for another day! ;)
I know exactly how you feel. The buttonless touchpad (clickpad, forcepad) is I think a scam. Just like how the industry got rid of all notification LEDs on all IPS LCD smartphones to make people spend more on AMOLED screens where Always on Display works properly without sucking battery (on LCD it turns on the whole backlight, not just a part of the screen).
Buttonless touchpads should never have been invented. Whoever invented them should be forced to use a mouse without buttons and only gestures. It's really easy to decide which laptop to buy because of this insane trend - all the ones without buttons are immediately eliminated from even being considered for buying. I feel glad secretly that somewhere some idiot is still going to buy this crap and expect to work fast and productively with gestures. ;D
It's a very retarded industry. No headphone jack, no sale. No touchpad buttons, no sale. No notification LED, no sale. What's next? Are they going to remove DisplayPort and HDMI because USB-C does it? You never know what these bezel hating idiotic hardware designers will do. No webcam at top because can't have bezels. 🤦🏻♂️ Certain important keys not present or reinvented keyboard layout. 🤦🏻♂️
If you can't find space for a tiny 3.5mm audio jack costing mere pennies in component/assembly price, when even the slimmest lightest smartphones can have them, you are a pathetic and lousy phone or laptop designer/manufacturer. Period. Find another job and another life.
Are people really so dumb as to believe predatory manufacturers like Apple that want to scrimp & save on pennies to screw consumers for higher profits? They eliminate the 3.5mm jack to AVOID having to include a US$5 handsfree wired ear piece. That's 5 bucks (or whatever volume pricing they get) of extra pure profit to their bottom line. PLUS US$199 to sell you a f-ugly looking Oral B electric toothbrush to stick in your ear - with lousy quality sound (compared to Sony as an example)!
My wired Shure in-ears offer far better sound quality than any crappy BT wireless earphones costing 2 to 3 times more! Believe me, I've compared them. Lots of lap tests have also proven it.
Besides it never needs charging - important when I'm in front of my laptop for 8-16 hrs a day! How many times would you have to interrupt your music to charge your BT thingies? And you have to throw it away when the li-ion batteries leak or wear out. That's usually 1 year away.
If I really need wireless functionality for sports like running or cycling,
I can always connect the Shure RMCE-BT2 High-Resolution Bluetooth 5.0 Communication Cable to it.
I can get the idea of Type-C only laptops but that's only if there are at least two or more Type-C ports. The point being that Type-C has far better universal functionality for PD charging/discharging, audio/video output, high bandwidth data transfer/Ethernet/TB etc. - especially with USB4 - while occupying less space than a Type-A USB.
But a 3.5mm jack is still smaller than a Type-C!
In practice, you would need at least three Type-Cs in such a laptop, because one would be used for charging. Any less and you would not be able to transfer data between two external devices directly (out of say harddisks/SSDs, cams, media cards, phone etc.). We're not talking about yet more external plug-in dongles/hubs here!
Which brings us back to the point - using a precious USB port (whatever kind) just to output sound all day is an incredible waste of a precious resource! Its counter-intuitive and only ends up wasting more space on a laptop!
Definetely want an audio jack. Am using it on a daily basis
Backward compatibility is important
No headphone jack, no deal! That goes for laptops and cell phones. I use that port daily on all my devices.
I won't buy a new phone or tablet because of this new stupid trend. Goes without saying a won't buy a laptop without a headphone jack.
I use the headphone jack for all sorts of things - microphone headset for Skype / gaming, earphones for music when travelling, output to my stereo for music / video when at home.
Removing them from phones was always a stupid idea and removing them from laptops makes even less sense.
I want an audio jack!
Quote from: Astar on September 15, 2019, 13:29:00
If you can't find space for a tiny 3.5mm audio jack costing mere pennies in component/assembly price, when even the slimmest lightest smartphones can have them, you are a pathetic and lousy phone or laptop designer/manufacturer. Period. Find another job and another life.
Are people really so dumb as to believe predatory manufacturers like Apple that want to scrimp & save on pennies to screw consumers for higher profits? They eliminate the 3.5mm jack to AVOID having to include a US$5 handsfree wired ear piece. That's 5 bucks (or whatever volume pricing they get) of extra pure profit to their bottom line. PLUS US$199 to sell you a f-ugly looking Oral B electric toothbrush to stick in your ear - with lousy quality sound (compared to Sony as an example)!
My wired Shure in-ears offer far better sound quality than any crappy BT wireless earphones costing 2 to 3 times more! Believe me, I've compared them. Lots of lap tests have also proven it.
Besides it never needs charging - important when I'm in front of my laptop for 8-16 hrs a day! How many times would you have to interrupt your music to charge your BT thingies? And you have to throw it away when the li-ion batteries leak or wear out. That's usually 1 year away.
If I really need wireless functionality for sports like running or cycling,
I can always connect the Shure RMCE-BT2 High-Resolution Bluetooth 5.0 Communication Cable to it.
I can get the idea of Type-C only laptops but that's only if there are at least two or more Type-C ports. The point being that Type-C has far better universal functionality for PD charging/discharging, audio/video output, high bandwidth data transfer/Ethernet/TB etc. - especially with USB4 - while occupying less space than a Type-A USB.
But a 3.5mm jack is still smaller than a Type-C!
In practice, you would need at least three Type-Cs in such a laptop, because one would be used for charging. Any less and you would not be able to transfer data between two external devices directly (out of say harddisks/SSDs, cams, media cards, phone etc.). We're not talking about yet more external plug-in dongles/hubs here!
Which brings us back to the point - using a precious USB port (whatever kind) just to output sound all day is an incredible waste of a precious resource! Its counter-intuitive and only ends up wasting more space on a laptop!
The volume pricing of free earphones? $1 I bet, if not less.
As for the C port, AFAIK it's slightly thinner than the 3.5, so it could make sense in extremely thin devices, but only then.
Quote from: S.Yu on September 16, 2019, 18:36:39
Quote from: Astar on September 15, 2019, 13:29:00
If you can't find space for a tiny 3.5mm audio jack costing mere pennies in component/assembly price, when even the slimmest lightest smartphones can have them, you are a pathetic and lousy phone or laptop designer/manufacturer. Period. Find another job and another life.
Are people really so dumb as to believe predatory manufacturers like Apple that want to scrimp & save on pennies to screw consumers for higher profits? They eliminate the 3.5mm jack to AVOID having to include a US$5 handsfree wired ear piece. That's 5 bucks (or whatever volume pricing they get) of extra pure profit to their bottom line. PLUS US$199 to sell you a f-ugly looking Oral B electric toothbrush to stick in your ear - with lousy quality sound (compared to Sony as an example)!
The volume pricing of free earphones? $1 I bet, if not less.
As for the C port, AFAIK it's slightly thinner than the 3.5, so it could make sense in extremely thin devices, but only then.
I was giving CrApple the benefit of the doubt, and also the fact that bundled wired handsfree sets have to have a minimum quality or they will make the phone brand look bad. Not that CrApple's are any good... they are crap. Its also based on a roughly 3X or 4X multiple based on the purchase price. iPhones typically have a BOM/assembly cost of U$200++ but they retail for about US$800 to $1000. But that is pointless quibbling on your part.
Also, what rubbish about Type-C being slightly thinner than 3.5mm jack? Its the apologists like you that give these predatory manufacturers the excuses to remove them. There is no excuse whatsoever from the point of view of size!
Quote from: SAW on September 14, 2019, 10:23:48
The last 5 years do not use. I have Marshall wireless.
If you work long enough in front of a laptop, which is all day for many people, how often would you have to interrupt your music to charge your wireless headphones? At least 2 or 3 times a day if you include use during commuting. I don't have time to charge yet another device all the time.
Besides, try buying an entry level professional quality wired in-ear from the likes of Shure and you will realise that the quality is much better than your Marshall!
Quote from: Dan6 on September 14, 2019, 09:01:51
Not really, I use either an external DAC or just wireless headphones depending on where I am.
You're not getting it. Most ultraportable/ultrabook/slim laptops don't even have enough USB ports! I'd never want to waste one on music!
Quote from: Astar on September 16, 2019, 21:48:17
Quote from: S.Yu on September 16, 2019, 18:36:39
Quote from: Astar on September 15, 2019, 13:29:00
If you can't find space for a tiny 3.5mm audio jack costing mere pennies in component/assembly price, when even the slimmest lightest smartphones can have them, you are a pathetic and lousy phone or laptop designer/manufacturer. Period. Find another job and another life.
Are people really so dumb as to believe predatory manufacturers like Apple that want to scrimp & save on pennies to screw consumers for higher profits? They eliminate the 3.5mm jack to AVOID having to include a US$5 handsfree wired ear piece. That's 5 bucks (or whatever volume pricing they get) of extra pure profit to their bottom line. PLUS US$199 to sell you a f-ugly looking Oral B electric toothbrush to stick in your ear - with lousy quality sound (compared to Sony as an example)!
The volume pricing of free earphones? $1 I bet, if not less.
As for the C port, AFAIK it's slightly thinner than the 3.5, so it could make sense in extremely thin devices, but only then.
I was giving CrApple the benefit of the doubt, and also the fact that bundled wired handsfree sets have to have a minimum quality or they will make the phone brand look bad. Not that CrApple's are any good... they are crap. Its also based on a roughly 3X or 4X multiple based on the purchase price. iPhones typically have a BOM/assembly cost of U$200++ but they retail for about US$800 to $1000. But that is pointless quibbling on your part.
Also, what rubbish about Type-C being slightly thinner than 3.5mm jack? Its the apologists like you that give these predatory manufacturers the excuses to remove them. There is no excuse whatsoever from the point of view of size!
They came up with this themselves, and they don't need a proper excuse anyway, like how Samsung removed it citing 100mah battery increase.