Another one bites the dust - next Xperia device to ditch 3.5mm headphone jack

3.5mm headphone jacks have been a major bone of contention in the smartphone industry for a while now, as a number of OEMs have decided to ditch the feature, opting for USB Type-C connectors instead. It looks like another OEM is set to join that side of the fence, as a new Sony Xperia device pulled up at FCC a while ago, with details pointing towards an acute lack of the previously industry-standard 3.5mm jack.

The whole fiasco began with the release of the iPhone 7 in 2016, as the Apple flagship became the first high-profile device to abandon the feature. Other devices from OEMs like Xiaomi, Google, ZTE, and Huawei have all taken the same route since then, with the Mi 6, Nubia Z17, Google Pixel 2, and Huawei Mate 10 Pro all being culprits in 2017. Samsung, Sony, LG, OnePlus, and Nokia were some of the few noteworthy brands to release flagships with headphone jacks last year but it looks like there will be one less amongst their number this time out.

According to the FCC listing of ports on the device, the headphone jack also doubles up as a charging port, which is a major indication that we won't be getting a regular jack on the device.

The device is supposedly a 5.7-inch one, which points towards an 18:9 display, as it corresponds to the 16:9 5.2-inch display seen on most recent Xperia flagships. It could also, of course, an entirely different device, though, but only time will tell.

It's a bit surprising that Sony could be willing to go down this route, as the company has major ties to the audio industry, both through its Walkman and its high-quality sound electronics. If this is true, we may be set to see the death of the headphone jack over the next 24 months. 

The Samsung Galaxy S9 has been confirmed to feature one but the next-gen Galaxy S device, probably the SX, could be the one where the South-Korean company decides to shake things up. A Samsung change will likely be followed by an industry-wide shift, as the company is by far the biggest player in the market.

Sayonara, headphone jack, you will be sorely missed.