OnePlus Killing the headphone jack is more of a money issue than a good synchronization



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Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)

Look, I'm not going to say that OnePlus is greedy by detaching the headphone jack on the next OnePlus 6T. OnePlus is a business and businesses need to earn money, otherwise they will go away. But to say that the reason to switch to wireless audio on the OP6T was largely to "wait for the right moment" is also not the right one.

OnePlus is expected to unveil its next phone on Oct. 17, and in the run-up to the event, the company highlighted details of the OnePlus 6T, including the inclusion of a fingerprint reader in the display. and lack of headphones. jack, whose last has a lot of smartphone fanatics in his arms, as the 6T would be the first OnePlus phone without a 3.5 mm port.

In an interview between Techradar and OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, Pei defended the choice by saying "[Removing the headphone jack] was a very controversial decision. We do not do it to do it and because everyone else is. We think the time has come, because it will benefit the majority of our users while keeping the weak points.

Pei also added that, according to a survey conducted by the company at the beginning of the year, 59% of users in the OnePlus community already owned a wireless headset. Now, clearly, these figures illustrate a change from similar data collected by OnePlus in November 2017, when less than 20% of its users apparently used wireless headsets. However, I can not help but think of the 41% of users still using wired headsets, or the 70% of users who said a year ago that audio quality was a priority.

When the OnePlus 6 came out earlier this spring, it still had a headphone jack. Pei himself even made some jokes about the headphone jacks during the OnePlus 6 announcement. So, what has changed between last May and now, apart from one? slight demographic change, which would encourage OnePlus to finally kill the headphone jack?

I guess – and this is just a theory – that OnePlus has taken the plunge when OnePlus released the Bullets wireless headphones with the OnePlus 6. Previously, OnePlus had not really proven itself in the manufacturing of Bluetooth headphones. But some breathless critics appeared and suddenly, the need for a headphone jack did not seem so vital. Well, if OnePlus sells some extra wireless headsets because of this decision, it's just a bonus, right?

On top of that, Bullets Wireless is actually a fairly decent wireless headset, especially for the price. But they were never my thing because I always hesitated to think of "wireless" headphones that always left you with a string hanging over your head.

You can not take into account the tired shot of the 3.5 mm jack. Fewer ports stuck in the body mean more space for things like bigger batteries and fingerprint sensors in the screen. Even if I have to say that if OnePlus does not reverse its position on the wireless charging (or lack thereof), it will seem a little strange to simultaneously switch to Bluetooth audio while blocking the power cable. phone a necessity.

At this point, it's hard to worry about change. It's not about courage, it's money, and the billions of dollars that Apple sold Airpods have essentially focused on the obsolescence of headphones in the cable range. OnePlus is just following Apple's business model. And although the move to wireless audio two years after Apple has certainly said something about timing, OnePlus can not part with the financial benefits that this decision will have either. Both things play a big role, and unless enough people are upset about it, it will probably work.

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