Google gives its reason for including a 3.5mm jack on the Pixel 3a phones, and it's flimsy as hell

Google launched its first mid-range Pixel phones, the Pixel 3a and 3a XL, last week, and both devices have been hailed for the packages they offer. Enthusiasts have been happy about the company's decision to include a 3.5mm headphone jack on the devices, but a tad confused as to why the company's flagships are missing the feature. Google's product manager, Soniya Jobanputra, had something to say about the matter in an interview.

"We debated on this headphone jack," she said when quizzed about the jack, "but we really felt that consumers at this price point, and in this price tier, really need the flexibility, and that's what that headphone jack is."

We're not sure what the logic behind this line of thought is. Users at a lower price point require flexibility while those paying a premium for the top-of-the-line product don't? 

All it tells us is that Google's decision to remove a headphone jack from the Pixel flagships are motivated, perhaps, by the desire to push sales of the Pixel Buds, since buyers of flagships are more likely to be able to afford the US$109 accessories.

This is an era when midrange devices now have features that are absent on the premium phones. We've seen this mirrored by other OEMs like Xiaomi and Huawei, and Google has now joined the list. What a time to be alive.