Samsung Kills Headphone Jack in Latest Smartphone After Years of Mocking Apple

Samsung today introduced its latest smartphone, the Galaxy A8s. It is Samsung's first smartphone with an Infinity-O display, which has a nearly edge-to-edge, uninterrupted design beyond a small hole for the front-facing camera.

galaxy a8s
It is also Samsung's first smartphone without a headphone jack, much to the amusement of iPhone users, as Samsung has mocked Apple for over two years over its decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, a trend that has continued through to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

samsung galaxy a8s
While on stage unveiling the new Galaxy Note7 in 2016, for example, Samsung executive Justin Denison made sure to point out that the device came with a headphone jack. "Want to know what else it comes with?" he asked. "An audio jack. I'm just saying," he answered, smirking as the audience laughed.

And earlier this year, Samsung mocked the iPhone X's lack of a headphone jack in one of its "Ingenius" ads promoting the Galaxy S9.


In the ad, a customer at an Apple Store asks if he can use his wired headphones with the iPhone X, and the employee informs him that he will need a dongle. The customer then inquires about charging at the same time, and the employee says he'll need another dongle. "So, a double dongle," the customer says.

To use wired headphones with the Galaxy A8s, a mid-range device for the Chinese market, users must use a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter.

While rumors suggest Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 will continue to feature a headphone jack, it could be the company's last flagship handset to have one. In October, Korean website ETNews said Samsung is considering removing the headphone jack from the Galaxy Note10 in 2019 and Galaxy S11 in 2020.

Samsung isn't the first tech giant to mock Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack, only to follow suit. Google poked fun at the iPhone 7's lack of headphone jack while unveiling its original Pixel smartphone in 2016, and then the Pixel 2 launched without one just a year later. Well, well, well. How the turntables

Tag: Samsung

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

iPhones Could Cost Up to $2,300 in the U.S. Due to Tariffs, Analyst Says

Friday April 4, 2025 9:30 am PDT by
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that steep tariffs will be applied to imports from many countries, starting April 9. The tariffs could have a significant impact on Apple, as the company assembles the majority of iPhones in China, and products imported to the U.S. from China will be subject to a 54% tariff. iPhone prices could increase by up to 43% in the U.S. due to the...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro: New 48MP Telephoto Lens May Change How Zoom Works

Thursday April 3, 2025 5:11 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly planning a major upgrade to the Telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Pro, and while it may seem like a step back on paper, the change could actually improve real-world usability, if one leaker's claims are anything to go by. According to Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a new Telephoto lens with a 48MP sensor, up from the current 12MP sensor found in the iPhone 16...
iOS 18

Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 18.5 to Developers

Wednesday April 2, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming just two days after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. We don't yet know what Apple is introducing in the iOS 18.5...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...

Top Rated Comments

ThisBougieLife Avatar
83 months ago
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about technology over the past several years it’s that eventually, everyone ends up copying Apple. :)
Score: 125 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jsmith189 Avatar
83 months ago
We knew it was only a matter of time. That's what they do. Make fun of Apple for making moves for the attention, then quietly implement those same changes.
Score: 98 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigBoy2018 Avatar
83 months ago
Stupid is as stupid does.

Attachment Image
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
grtoceanrd Avatar
83 months ago
Apple has Jony, what’s Samsung’s excuse?
Same excuse, Apple has Jony :P
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sirozha Avatar
83 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/10/samsung-removes-headphone-jack-galaxy-a8s/')


Samsung today introduced its latest smartphone, the Galaxy A8s ('https://www.samsungeshop.com.cn/activity/GalaxyA8s'). It is Samsung's first smartphone with an Infinity-O display, which has a truly edge-to-edge, uninterrupted design beyond a small hole for the front-facing camera.



It is also Samsung's first smartphone without a headphone jack, much to the amusement of iPhone users, as Samsung has mocked Apple for over two years over its decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, a trend that has continued through to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

While on stage unveiling the new Galaxy Note7 in 2016, for example, Samsung executive Justin Denison made sure to point out that the device came with a headphone jack ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/08/02/samsung-mocks-apple-headphone-jack-removal/'). "Want to know what else it comes with?" he asked. "An audio jack. I'm just saying," he added, smirking as the audience laughed.

And earlier this year, Samsung mocked the iPhone X's lack of a headphone jack in one of its "Ingenius" ads ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/20/samsung-galaxy-s9-vs-iphone-ads/') promoting the Galaxy S9.



In the ad, a customer at an Apple Store asks if he can use his wired headphones with the iPhone X, and the employee informs him that he will need a dongle. The customer then inquires about charging at the same time, and the employee says he'll need another dongle. "So, a double dongle," the customer says.

To use wired headphones with the Galaxy A8s, a mid-range device for the Chinese market, users must use a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter.

While rumors suggest Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 will continue to feature a headphone jack, it could be the company's last flagship handset to have one. In October, Korean website ETNews ('http://www.etnews.com/20181010000390') said Samsung is considering removing the headphone jack from the Galaxy Note10 in 2019 and Galaxy S11 in 2020.

Samsung isn't the first tech giant to mock Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack, only to follow suit. Google poked fun at the iPhone 7's lack of headphone jack while unveiling its original Pixel smartphone in 2016, and then the Pixel 2 launched without one ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/04/google-pixel-2-new-home-speakers/') just a year later. Well, well, well. How the turntables...

Article Link: Samsung Kills Headphone Jack in Latest Smartphone After Years of Mocking Apple ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/10/samsung-removes-headphone-jack-galaxy-a8s/')
I have had an iPhone 7 for over two years now, and I still think it was asinine to remove the headphone jack in favor of the Lightning connector.

At least Samsung is using a standard port - USB-C, so one adapter (or one pair of earphones) would work with any other standards based device. Apple is now eliminating the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, so now you have to have three different ways to connect headphones to a device in the Apple ecosystem. This is just dumb and sloppy.

Lightning was a transitional connector. Everyone knew it. The standard is USB-C. Apple should have waited with removing the headphone jack until they fully transition to the standards based connector on their iPhones and iPads.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vicviper789 Avatar
83 months ago
I am not an audiophile by any means but I do hear a big difference between wired and blue tooth headphones. I am holding on to my 6S+ with pure dorm grip until it dies..
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)