Sam mobile says no headphone jack for the S8

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,899
819
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Well, adding stereo speakers would be a somewhat legit reason, unlike the "courage" apple took. Still a stupid idea.
 
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Raduque

Lifer
Aug 22, 2004
13,141
138
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Sadly, I'll probably still consider buying one. I don't use headphones often enough to warrant a jack, but I can't seem to live without Samsung Pay anymore.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
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Samsung's desire to be Apple will be the death of them as a smartphone maker yet.

Removing needed features for another microscopic sliver of needless thinless is a Dumb Apple Trick and Samsung would do well to just freakin drop it already.

Personally I will NOT own a cellphone without a headphone jack. It's actually one of my most used things on my phone. Dongles are ducking fupid and anyone for YEARS NOW can use wireless headphones if they so choose. (2016's most idiotic new 'feature!' something you already could do since forever!!)

If these idiots ruin the Note 8 (after the fiasco they created with the N7) then to hell wirh Samsung.
 
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ClockHound

Golden Member
Nov 27, 2007
1,108
214
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@Zaap: Agree. Picked up a used Note 4 (since the Note 7 was unavailable) - could be the last smartphone I own. Seems the smartyphone companies are more interested in their own industrial design trends than providing the user with durable, useful products.

Apple has succeeded in making a mobile communications device into a fashion statement - so kudos to their brilliant marketing. Less kudos to those companies who feel compelled to build 'tribute' devices.
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,786
6,188
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Would be a very dumb move by them if true. If you like iOS, you have no choice but to accept whatever Apple gives you. If you like Android, you have options.
It would most definitely eliminate Samsung S8 as an option for me. I have an S6 now.
 

Rifter

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,522
751
126
Good thing i have a s7edge that arrived 2 days ago, looks like ill be using it at least untill the note 8/s9 come out. im not buying a phone without a headphone jack, period, ever.

Smartphone companies need to get over themselves and get back to making phones that are functional not super thin stylish ones that have less functionality.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
I wouldn't buy a flagship Samsung as-is. Removeable battery and removeable *storage are primary features. If I were buying today, I'd be looking at lg. Getting rid of the headphone jack? I have a good place to put that phone...

edit:
*I accidentally a word
 
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DeathReborn

Platinum Member
Oct 11, 2005
2,743
734
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As a recent purchaser of a S7 (Tab S2 9.7 too) and a new work S7 Edge given to me (not my choice) I still find the headphone jack essential. If it goes in the S8 & future phones they'll be the last Samsung devices I buy, I'll even skip their other product lines in favour of companies that aren't "iSheep" (that'll probably be Sony then).
 
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postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
7,721
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Bluetooth sounds like crap because it has limited bandwidth and headphones have to add expensive DA converters. While flagship phones come with a good DA converters.

This benefits only companies, not users
 

dawheat

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2000
3,132
93
91
If Samsung does this for the S8, then they need to offer a compensating feature. Apple's "reasons" to remove it (courage, waterproofing, packaging) all fell flat as they didn't pass the common sense test and were excuses to push their vision of sound and accelerate another revenue stream.

Now if the S8 ends up being a cross between the S7 Edge and the Mi Mix with a 6" screen in the body of the current 5.5" phone, then I'll be back at the table as there's compensating value being provided. But if it's an evolutionary design with the normal steps up in every way (camera, screen, etc), then it's likely I'll be switching to another OEM next year.
 

GTRagnarok

Senior member
Aug 6, 2011
246
0
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Contrary to how I felt several months ago, I don't think this would affect me too much. I realize I don't use my phones headphone jack very often these days. But that's just me. I understand it's very important to some people.

Aside from that, the S8 rumors have gotten more juicy as we're less than 3 months from the announcement. A "bezel-less" or at least a very high screen-to-body ratio design has been mentioned more than once. Size is unknown, but the latest says 6.2" is a possible variant. The iPhone 8 has a similar rumor, so I'm guessing this is going to be the design trend for 2017 and onwards. No complaints from me.

SamMobile also says Samsung is ditching the home button and embedding the fingerprint sensor in the screen. Speaking of which, the screen could be RGB AMOLED :eek:, last seen in the Note 2. No more pentile? Did Samsung make a breakthrough in AMOLED tech? Hopefully it's more resistant to burn-in (I have keyboard burn-in on my Note 4, visible when the screen is all grey).

The other big rumor is stereo speakers (at last). Up til now, Samsung seemed to have ignored speaker quality and it has continually been a source of criticism in reviews, so this would be a welcome change. Hopefully, they're both front firing.

SamMobile suggests the design of the S8 is similar to the Note 7. I'm thinking that means more symmetry. Taking all this into consideration, my vision of the Galaxy S8 is something like the Note 7 with very minimal top and bottom bezels - just enough for speakers + camera and sensors on top. That means Samsung would have to finally drop the logo on the front, something they should have done a long time ago. That would probably also mean using on-screen buttons. Gonna be very interesting to see how this all plays out. The only sure thing is that this is going to be a hugely important phone for Samsung.
 
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beginner99

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2009
5,208
1,580
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Sadly, I'll probably still consider buying one. I don't use headphones often enough to warrant a jack, but I can't seem to live without Samsung Pay anymore.

Not using the headphones often is actually the reason to have a jack because I can use the crappy ones that shipped with the phone or any other cheapo headphones and do not have to spend $100 on usable Bluetooth enabled headphones.

Bluetooth sounds like crap because it has limited bandwidth and headphones have to add expensive DA converters. While flagship phones come with a good DA converters.

This benefits only companies, not users

Newest Bluetooth isn't that bad as you need expensive headphones to hear it sucks. It's more that they are expensive, heavy and need to be charged. And the battery needs to be replaced couple years down the road when you probably can't buy a replacement anymore and you need to buy a new set while good speakers with a 3.5mm Jack will last you decades.

Yeah, if you buy bluetooth headphones they also must work with a 3.5mm jack.
 

Raduque

Lifer
Aug 22, 2004
13,141
138
106
Not using the headphones often is actually the reason to have a jack because I can use the crappy ones that shipped with the phone or any other cheapo headphones and do not have to spend $100 on usable Bluetooth enabled headphones.

No, I mean headphones, period. I use a pair of headphones MAYBE once a week. My main pair of headphones are $5. I use a BT speaker at work, and BT in my truck. At home, I listen on a 2.0 setup connected to my PC.
 

Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
9,206
6,799
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If Samsung does this for the S8, then they need to offer a compensating feature. Apple's "reasons" to remove it (courage, waterproofing, packaging) all fell flat as they didn't pass the common sense test and were excuses to push their vision of sound and accelerate another revenue stream.

Now if the S8 ends up being a cross between the S7 Edge and the Mi Mix with a 6" screen in the body of the current 5.5" phone, then I'll be back at the table as there's compensating value being provided. But if it's an evolutionary design with the normal steps up in every way (camera, screen, etc), then it's likely I'll be switching to another OEM next year.

But teardowns of the iPhone 7 showed that Apple actually did make use of the available space -- it's there for the upgraded haptic engine (which kicks the ass of other phones, incidentally), better battery life and a barometric vent that lets the phone accurately calculate altitude. Apple didn't actually claim that waterproofing was a reason for it.

As for the S8, it all depends. If there are significant practical benefits that come from it, sure. The big concern is that this is another classic "because Apple did it" response from Samsung.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,736
447
126
Well that's dumb. It's looking more an more like my Nexus 6p will the phone I keep around the longest, but it's not because it's a great phone... it's just that all the other alternatives are going backwards.
 

nOOky

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2004
2,827
1,849
136
I wouldn't buy a flagship Samsung as-is. Removeable battery and removeable *storage are primary features. If I were buying today, I'd be looking at lg. Getting rid of the headphone jack? I have a good place to put that phone...

edit:
*I accidentally a word

I agree. I have the LG V20 and I use both BT earbuds when running, and the B&O earbuds from the free promotion they offered. The phone using the built-in DACs and the B&0 earbuds is simply the best mobile sound I personally have ever used. The BT earbuds are merely adequate and put out sound. I use the headphone jack especially when traveling and when I want to be quiet, I'd never blast my music using stereo speakers out loud that's really annoying.

Add in the removable battery and sd card and I'll keep it until it dies. I get by the lack of water-proofing with a Ziploc bag if I really need to run in the rain etc. I can't see myself considering a phone without a jack unless the quality over BT really improves immensely.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
A big thing for me is I often switch from device to device. I go for walks often to keep active, even at work. I just use the same headphones with phone instead of my desktop or laptop.

Other times I may switch from tablet- laptop- phone depending on what I'm doing. A universal jack is just a no brainer, and mandatory. The idea of pairing/repairing BT headphones constantly across multiple devices... you'd have to be into self sadism. Add too it the sound quality (in my experience) isn't as good. I'm sure it depends on the BT headphones, but headphones to me in general use are not an ultra-expensive item just to sound good.

Logically, Apple should have put USB-C as the only port on the iPhone7 if they were going that route, at least it would match the only port they left on the MacBooks. (But of course notice they didn't drop the headphone jack on the Mac Book).

If Samsung is crazy enough to think people like me are ever going to live the stupid dongle life to use their products (which are traditionally part of a platform that's supposed to be an alternative to walled garden bullshit- not just another version of it) then I believe they are mistaken.



^ I personally will NOT become a dongle monkey like on the right. That is freakin' insane!
 
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Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
9,206
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Well that's dumb. It's looking more an more like my Nexus 6p will the phone I keep around the longest, but it's not because it's a great phone... it's just that all the other alternatives are going backwards.

What I want to see is whether the rest of the industry follows suit... assuming the S8 rumor is true, of course. If it's 2018 and most major phone brands don't include headphone jacks, what does that do for holdouts who need a new phone? Do you just bite the bullet and get a new phone, or find some so-so minor brand phone and use that?

I'm reminded of Richard Stallman. He's so ideologically 'pure' that he ends up using an ancient, modified Lenovo ThinkPad simply so that he can say everything is open. Theoretically ideal, practically very limited -- the $300 Best Buy special you picked up on Black Friday is exponentially more capable in real life.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,929
1,097
126
I was actually considering picking one of these up, but I guess I'll be using my S5 until it falls apart.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
Everyone else won't drop wired audio connections so long as there's demand, because there's no clear financial motive in doing so. This isn't really motivated by any consumer demand or anything that benefits the consumer.

Samsung's pipe-dream is they think people are going to buy these for $200 a pop:
Samsung-Gear-IconX-Ear-Buds.jpg


Anyone can figure out that Apple's motives weren't purely consumer demand driven vs. profit driven.

Other companies don't have a clear profit motive to be 'courageous' and ignore *actual* consumer demand.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,899
819
126
I agree. I have the LG V20 and I use both BT earbuds when running, and the B&O earbuds from the free promotion they offered. The phone using the built-in DACs and the B&0 earbuds is simply the best mobile sound I personally have ever used. The BT earbuds are merely adequate and put out sound. I use the headphone jack especially when traveling and when I want to be quiet, I'd never blast my music using stereo speakers out loud that's really annoying.

Add in the removable battery and sd card and I'll keep it until it dies. I get by the lack of water-proofing with a Ziploc bag if I really need to run in the rain etc. I can't see myself considering a phone without a jack unless the quality over BT really improves immensely.

Except this phone has one of the worse screens I have ever used. Putting mine up for sale tomorrow. So happy I kept my Note 7. The promo buds were decent but the quad DAC rarely even kicks in with them. The V10, IMO, is a better phone DAC wise.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,736
447
126
What I want to see is whether the rest of the industry follows suit... assuming the S8 rumor is true, of course. If it's 2018 and most major phone brands don't include headphone jacks, what does that do for holdouts who need a new phone? Do you just bite the bullet and get a new phone, or find some so-so minor brand phone and use that?

I'm reminded of Richard Stallman. He's so ideologically 'pure' that he ends up using an ancient, modified Lenovo ThinkPad simply so that he can say everything is open. Theoretically ideal, practically very limited -- the $300 Best Buy special you picked up on Black Friday is exponentially more capable in real life.

Once I have no good options I'm sure I'll bite the bullet and switch. I'll probably use a dongle though. I don't use the headphone jack THAT much but I do usually use it when I'm mowing the lawn or doing other yardwork. Bluetooth doesn't work that well in the open air, and I have issues with my bluetooth headphones cutting out even when my phone is in my pocket while mowing. If bluetooth was a little stronger so it had better range when outside, it wouldn't be that bad. As of now though it's not reliable enough.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
What I want to see is whether the rest of the industry follows suit... assuming the S8 rumor is true, of course. If it's 2018 and most major phone brands don't include headphone jacks, what does that do for holdouts who need a new phone? Do you just bite the bullet and get a new phone, or find some so-so minor brand phone and use that?

I'm reminded of Richard Stallman. He's so ideologically 'pure' that he ends up using an ancient, modified Lenovo ThinkPad simply so that he can say everything is open. Theoretically ideal, practically very limited -- the $300 Best Buy special you picked up on Black Friday is exponentially more capable in real life.

I was actually considering picking one of these up, but I guess I'll be using my S5 until it falls apart.

Same. My S5 is my first, and probably last Samsung. I'm fine with using old phones, and that's what I'll do if there's nothing acceptable on the market. Removeable battery, removeable storage, and a headphone jack. Those are basic requirements for a phone computer. I wouldn't accept less on a laptop/desktop, and I won't accept less on my pocket computer.
 
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