Fujitsu F-10D (2012)
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-rel...
Waterproof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZVpuizKD3k
The back pops off just like a Galaxy S3. The battery itself is not just removable, it also charges wirelessly. Micro SD and of course a headphone jack. It was also the first quad core LTE on the market.
ps: also, yeah, water sealed electronics is very valueable. And when you do need to replace a battery, a tech could swap it with a few tools. Not user replaceable but still replaceable at low cost.
For example, I have an old GPS+HRM runner watch which is water resistant but not fully water proof. After a run I briefly wash it under running water (not submerging, but heavily splashing and using soap). I have been subjecting this watch to such abuse for years and it has not failed yet.
I think for most users water resistance would be just fine, although this may be just a personal bias.
If the phone catches on fire they're on the hook for it.
Plus phones have a two year designed for lifespan. So it isn't a priority in that sense.
And users like phones looking sleek etc. A phone reviewer is going to note that a phone is bulky if it has a replaceable battery.
I want to use the same earphones on my laptop, desktop and my mobile without fiddling with different connectors.
Aside I have een looking into nice headphone amps for iPhones and that market seems really small. It seems that audiophiles would skip the built in DAC yes or yes if audio quality would really matter?
My main criteria for a phone are: small, has a headphone jack, and isn't a low-end POS. That leaves an extremely limited set of options.
I'm dismayed that there isn't much choice if you're looking for a phone that can be comfortably operated with one hand and fits easily in a pocket. Make an S9 mini, Samsung.
It has backlight bleeding around the ambient light sensor. I can't replace it, but I can live with it.
GMSArena reported Sony is working on a Compact with 5-inch screen and 18:9 aspect ratio. This will be the perfect phone to own.
Samsung actually does have a not bad small device - the A3: https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a3-6762.php. Problem is that it doesn't work with the US LTE bands I need it to. Right now I'm waiting to see what the iPhone SE 2 looks like...
Sad to see after all of the backlash them not learning from this particular mistake and doubling down on it instead.
I know I only have 5% of battery, I know my phone will turn off, but I want to have a bright screen for the last couple of minutes don't dim it! Also I really need to take a picture with my freaking flashlight on, let me do it!
And finally I don't get what functionality does it serve to turn my screen on when it starts charging, I already have a red led indicating it is charging, don't make me turn off my screen specially when I'm wireless charging!!
I wonder how is the usage data on it. Surely the must have had some justification for keeping it?
Thankfully many of their phones can run aftermarket operating systems.
Also adaptors frequently limit the power available from devices, greatly reducing quality on good headphones.
I'm to the point of thinking/feeling that any new "feature" they tout, I don't actually want. A lot of which get connected in the marketing-speak with "thin" and "water-resistant".
Whatever's driving this, it seems pretty clear now it's not consumer demand. (And with our "thin" phones, the first thing many of us have to do is slap a case on them, anyway. And recently all the people with even bulkier and heavier battery cases...)
there are still plenty of times where a headphone jack can be useful. when you run out of charge, if youre at someone elses house but then dont have any bluetooth receiver.
maybe in the future when bt headphone batteries last more than a day i might be able to get behind the idea a bit more
It’s a little surprising that a lot of people seem to think that decent Bluetooth headphones must be fairly expensive
I understand how audiophiles might really enjoy that quality gap, but beyond that niche market, I don't get it.
My bluetooth headphones even have wires to plug into 3.6mm / airplane connectors as well.
It seems that most people don't care about the headphone jack given companies have decided to ditch them en-mass. Certainly online forums give a voice to those that still want it, but I've not read any comments that seem to be valid for ME.
Problems I've seen described: * connecting to airplanes (I have connectors on my bluetooth headphones) * not wanting to use multiple dongles (bluetooth has no dongles) * pairing sucks (modern bluetooth versions don't have the pairing issues of old. I don't have to repair to get it to connect. I just hold the button and tell it to connect to the already-paired device and it works every time.) * "Considering the prices of bluetooth headsets, bluetooth ubiquity for audio will still remain a niche for the rest of the world." - bluetooth is CHEAP. high quality bluetooth are definitely more expensive than high quality wired.
Are there any arguments that I've not seen?
Anyone know of what the status is on this?
Samsung might be waiting for a cost dip, OR current Samsung leaks mask a decision to use it.
I am voting with my money and saved about 1,000 last year from now buying anything Apple anymore.
I think tech companies need to focus on features that are only good for marketing less, and more on what consumers want.
https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/news/always-updated-list...
Because it's been nearly universal for even longer than computers have existed, serves the purpose perfectly, and the alternative is hard pressed to be compelling in any way, whether on sound quality, convenience, device size, cost, robustness, complexity, usability, or versatility (it's really an analog port that turns out to be mostly used for audio signals). Previous removals (magnetic or optical disk drives, vga, serial, or ethernet ports) were dealt with when they were obsoleted by outperforming, or at the very least vastly more convenient alternatives.
> finally make the computer-in-your-pocket dream a reality
The dock is the easy part, the hard part is the OS/UI and making the thing super convenient.
compelling for DRM rights holders, and all the manufacturers are trying to setup their walled garden 'content stores' and need to make rights agreements with content producers..
But no headphoneless smartphone for me. I love my (Audio-Technica) headphone.
And then, yes, if it does connect, the quality is poor.
All I want to do is use the solution that simply and easily works for me and CONTINUES to work and isn't being replaced for what seems to be a money-making opportunity.
Except when it doesn't. Or you left it paired to the wrong thing, which results in a lot of comedy bluetooth speaker moments.
(It's only recently that the industry converged on BTLE that actually worked on both Apple and non-Apple devices)
If Bluetooth pairing could be easy, then it might be a replacement for wired connections. Until then, it is a highly situational protocol.
It'll be an expensive lesson in particular for lower end brands that don't have margins like Apples to cushion them.
1. I only use high quality headphones that have a rubber membrane, as much because of the sound quality (insulating me from the outside world) and out of respect for my co-workers and fellow passengers (other headphones are super leaky). I haven't seen the major manufacturers making a blutooth version of their in-ear models.
2. Interoperability: I currently have one headphone I can forget in my pocket and it works on all my devices: desktop computer, home laptop, ipad, iphone. I don't want to have to carry multiple models and dongles.
3. I already have to deal with too many batteries, I don't want more batteries in my life, rather less.
4. The last time I tried blutooth audio (a few years ago) the quality was terrible and there was a significant delay (was a bose noise cancelling headset). Things may have improved but in any case I have never seen wireless technologies that aren't unstable in some ways
5. Blutooth headphones is not solving any problem for me. Why should I switch? Why should I have to deal with more hassle? What's the benefit to me? Feels like a user hostile move to sell more hardware, which annoys me and pushes me instinctively to resist it.
I'm very flexible about audio quality but still, the sound of even mid range BT headsets is really poor - I didn't ever realize until I had used a BT headset for a while, and then broke it (...) and used a cheap pair of earplugs for a while, and it was just so much better.
If I can find BT earplugs that can match the quality, has at least a couple of weeks worth of battery so I don't run out because I've forgotten to charge on a regular basis, and that are substantially more solid, I'd love to not have the hassle of a cable.
The "problem" is that I can pick up a pair of really cheap earplugs and know they'll work reliably and give me good enough quality and just work at any time. I can't the same for BT headsets.
With such investments, I'd expect to not keep losing the connection between the phone and the headphones - but I do. They drop out frequently on my way to work, where my trusty Shure SE315s never do.
Also, Google seem to have done something terrible to their bluetooth stack since the upgrade to Oreo. My phone frequently soft resets whilst hooked up to Bluetooth (either my headphones, or my car - doesn't matter which). Again, not a problem when using the headphone jack.
Not once in two months have I remembered it when I go out. I hate hate hate hate hate how much this phone cost and how vastly more inconvenient is compared to my last phone. I cannot wait for the return of the headphone jack on phones if true!
Edit: how long does it take to switch your Bluetooth headphones from a computer to a phone? If it is more than 1 second, it's a stupid waste of time as well. I'm not putting up with that decline in usability especially if am expected to spend money on it and throw into the landfill my perfectly good headphones. No thanks.
I mean, at home I've got Chromecast Audio or Bluetooth speakers. At work or my desk at home I don't listen from my phone. And on the go I really hate cables, I always fear that I'm going to damage the port when walking with the phone in a pocket and positioning the cable is awkward with a warm jacket in winter.
Is my use case really so atypical?
Vendor side 'content partnership' forces yes..
this is DRM and 'closing the analog hole' pure and simple..
This still kind of depends on good software. On the Galaxy S5 (which I've managed to get along with still), the built-in voicemail app will play over the speakers despite having headphones in. Led to some embarrassing moments the few times I've listened to voicemail in public.
iMac does that, and I find it very annoying. I normally use headphones, but occasionally want to use the speakers. To do that I have to reach behind the iMac and unplug the headphones. This is annoying because there are things in the way on my desk.
I cannot understand why Apple did this. They got it right on my older Mac Pro: you could select in the Sound settings between the headphone jack and line out (which was were you generally would connect your speakers).
Am I missing something here? Making an analog audio signal electronically switchable between two paths is not something that requires an EE genius to design.
If for some reason they cannot do that...how about putting the headphone jack in front instead of on the back? Put it in the middle of the black Apple symbol on the front if you are worried it will throw off the aesthetics. It would be hard to see there.
The market it there, but like you said it is very boutique and specific. Step 1: be an audiophile, step 2: have good portable headphones where a good dac/amp will actually make a difference, step 3: user your phone as an audio source enough to care, step 4: be willing to spend a bunch of money on it.
I fall in to the audiophile category, have very nice custom IEMs (64 Audio, being upgraded + remolded from v6-s to a6 right now actually), and would be willing to spend money. However, I almost NEVER use my phone as an audio source, so I just don't care enough to invest in a portable dac/amp setup.
Hence the limited availability.
https://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-amp...
This is a design created by NwAvGuy (who has since gone AWOL) because all the headphone amp manufacturers pissed him off with all the hooey.
It's got a Creative Commons license and the design is actually public.
Being able to get a pair of 5 bucks headphones that don't use batteries is just convenient. Being able to get really fancy noise cancelling headphones for half the price is convenient. Being able to use the same headphones across all my devices (my new desktop computer has bluetooth, my old one didn't. When I was looking at motherboards, a lot of them didn't) is convenient. Being able to not have to worry about battery life is VERY convenient. Not having to worry about my phone's battery life is also convenient (though newer bluetooth uses very little, its still non-zero).
Interference is still an issue. Where I live there's so many 2.4ghz devices around, they barely work (ironically in the middle of manhattan I have less issues, mind you)
Much as I love the TT-BA08 dongle, having double-click power be both "initiate pairing" and "initiate phone call" depending on (largely) invisible context is a bloody pain in the arse.
The one thing I don't want is a song to cut in and out, and that's exactly what wireless headphone provide.
Especially now that phones have adopted USB-C, I have to have both a C and micro charger.
I think you're overstating this. With a normal headphone jack, if I find myself heading out for a hike or vacation or whatever and discover that I left my earbuds at home, I can pick up a tolerable pair at any drugstore for $10. For the time being at least, I'd have to go to a specialty electronics shop (probably in that city an hour back) and pay $30 to get a comparable bluetooth set.
Edit: Less delay.
I don't use FM anymore as I use spotify premium. I absolutely HATE advertisements in all it's forms however I totally appreciate the utility of FM receivers for emergencies.
You don't have to buy new headphones, but you don't get to buy a new cellphone either.
Sell more expensive hardware, close the analog hole for DRM content. Consumers are just the willing sheep in this equation who are willing to be distracted by loss of wires and shiny..
Not being able to change the battery is planned obsolescence, that is all it ever was.
I'm holding tight onto this phone, it's awesome.
Also, I have external battery charger for LG G5. I can use my phone freely while my other battery is being charged.
You don't face water probles every day but you face charging problems every day.
Also when my battery dies I don't need to wait someone to change my battery. After all I already chage my battery every day.
Most people use cases anyway, and space is at a premium on the inside of the phone. Not so much on the outside. Plus, battery cases can be used without shutting down and turning the phone back on.
Speak for yourself. I have water problems about as frequently as I have low battery problems.
It's a weak defence, because multiple people had issues with bluetooth on the Pixel 2.
Previously a search for the right headphones was the intersection of few concerns:
* Price
* Sound quality
* Comfort
It was hard enough finding the right intersection of the 3 that fit me. Now I have to also balance the decision with:
* Battery life
* Ease of use (for HEADPHONES!)
* Rechargeability
* Connection quality
Headphones are such a simple idea. For some people the complexities of bluetooth headphones are worth the cost, but I don't want my cell phone to force me to accept that trade off.
My datapoint of 'good' says these are 'good'
There's also a whole lot of outdated information in this thread, e.g. concerning the quality of Bluetooth audio. It's really come a long way.
Even if you wanted to "vote with your wallet", you couldn't.
There are no more phones being sold at reasonable sizes (besides the iPhone SE, which will probably go away soon).
None of the current big-name flagships (this S9 potentially being the exception) have headphone jacks.
If my current phone (an SE) breaks I'm not sure I'll buy another smartphone.
All of Samsung's current generation of flagships (S8/S8+/Note8) have headphone jacks, they also starting in the previous generation (S7/Note7/etc.) activated the radio chip (which relies on wired headphones) and restored removable storage.
Hopefully this S9 signals a return to manufacturers adding hardware features again instead of removing them.
Most manufacturers add hardware features even when they remove them; but Samsung started restoring features by bringing back removable storage in the S7 generation of flagships. (They also activated FM radio starting in that generation, which was doubling down on the headphone jack, since it relies on wired headphones for antenna.)
Edit: sorry for offending the downvoter - I actually like that phone, yet there I was with a wet brick.
I don't know. I think it depends a lot on the devices you have.
I have Bose QC35 headphones, and use them every day with my work and personal macbook, and my iPhone.
The connections are completely seamless. Here's how it's usually for me:
I turn them on at home, they automatically connect to my iPhone and macbook. I usually play music (spotify) on my laptop, when I leave for work I just open spotify on my phone and select "listen on this phone" and they automatically switch audio input.
When I come into work the headphones automatically connect to my work laptop and I can continue playing spotify there. All of these connections take a second or two.
In case I get a call the audio input/output automatically changes to my phone and I can take the call, and switches back when I'm done.
Plus I get about 15-20 hours of music listening time with one charge. So charging them isn't a big deal either.
Works fine with my UE Boom 2 bluetooth speaker as well.
Maybe the devices you've tried were older or cheap models?
It seems like every phone since then has dropped at least one of those in favor of (to me) useless things like edge-to-edge displays or curved glass sides.
I'd love to see a new phone (Samsung or otherwise) with all the same features, but if one exists it hasn't been well marketed.
As more and more remotes are RF rather than IR (and more and more of the things that have remotes can also be controlled by mobile apps), the utility of an IR blaster is dropping; while I, too, would like to see them come back, I don't really think it's likely.
I don't think removable batteries are coming back either; the current ones are serviceable, just not conveniently swappable in daily use. But the daily use use case of removable batteries is more than adequately served for most users by battery packs (including battery cases) on the market now, so it's too little utility to too few users to justify compromising other features on a flagship.
If you really care about sound quality you weren't using the headphone jack on a phone (and its not so great DAC) anyway.
Complaining about the sound quality of earbuds is only "silly" if the iphone DAC is so bad that one wouldn't tell the difference between a good and bad earphone, which is clearly not the case.
That ship, of fewer devices, has sailed.
However overland flights ( generally ) don't route up to 240 minutes flying time from the nearest diversion airfield.
Four hours is a long, long time with a cabin fire.
They even handle gracefully playing music from my laptop and when I shut it down, they automatically reconnect to my phone without any interaction. This sounds simple but I've had many pains with similar stuff with previous devices.
https://askubuntu.com/questions/833322/pair-bose-quietcomfor...
I'm doubtful that the problem is the protocol/connection method, but rather components and pricing. Bluetooth headphones are inhertentily more expensive, so there's less 'budget' for higher quality audio components, or the priorities are different.
1. Keep the adapter on the headphones cord
2. Get headphones for USB-C (or whatever the Pixel uses)
3. Get Bluetooth headphones
I mean, I understand that you feel like you shouldn’t have to do those things, and you won’t buy one of these again, but it sounds like this is ruining your life. Why not just fix the problem?
2. I have perfectly good headphones and am not buying more. Period.
3. Why would I spend more money on this for a product I hate? No way am I buying new headphones that I will hate. Bad idea for my sanity.
I will fix the problem by never dealing with a crap phone like this. Next phone will definitely have a headphone jack.
https://www.taotronics.com/taotronics-tt-ba08-bluetooth-4.1-...
> I hate hate hate hate hate how much this phone cost and how vastly more inconvenient is compared to my last phone.
This, right here, says it all.
For example, having uneven thickness will noticeably reduce audio quality like you mention.
I always suspected it was to push headphone tech further to a long term better experience - it has been a ripe target for the trend of eliminating the pains of wires. This trend has already dominated video games controllers, and is quite present with computers as well. Headphones are a logical target long overdue for improvement - the hassle of wires, and even a physical hazard in some edge cases (I have my own tale) should in an ideal situation be something eliminated.
I think the theory that it was done so Apple could sell more bluetooth headphones is not how the company thinks - headphone accessory sales are a drop in the bucket financially. I think the decision to remove the port was made beforehand, and the company then invested in creating more bluetooth headphones as a response to that decision, not to drive it.
Of course, I could be wrong, but the emotional conclusion that I’ve seen in multiple places doesn’t seem to have a compelling explanation as to why the headphone jack was removed. The company prioritizes UX in general and acts in response to the implications of the UX, not chase money and think of the UX second.
But the headphone jack didn't have a clearly superior successor, and from what I hear, still doesn't. The overall UX (and sound quality) of Bluetooth is worse, not better; it's tough to beat the utter simplicity of plugging in a headphone jack.
The only thing gained is no wires (and maybe some easier water-proofing, not sure). This is such a sideways move, it always struck me as a sign that Apple couldn't maintain Jobs's vision without him.
Right now bluetooth is not an obvious improvement over wired headphones. You have lower audio quality and significant latency unless you spend a significant amount of money, time and have the right technical knowledge to even be able to choose a proper headphone.
These problems don't even exist for wired headphones. Even if you buy the crappiest wired headphone off alibaba you won't find headphones with 500ms latency like your average bluetooth headphone has.
Do you really think the average users know what an "aptX" is and that there are several versions of those of which only the "aptX low latency" version is worth using?
Then on top of that your bluetooth adapter needs to support that same version of aptX too.
Apple may compensate for the delay by delaying video too but for that's merely a hack. It just shows that bluetooth adds more problems that need to be worked around.
It's not an incremental improvement over wired heaphones, it's merely a tradeoff and for me the tradeoff is not worth it.
To make more money per handset sale by selling wireless headphones.
But my point is, it's not a clearly superior change that everyone agrees is the future.
Also that page is a 404.
What are you going to plug it into if your phone has no headphone socket?
This thread is -specifically- about when you -can't- plug your existing headphones into your phone.