Samsung may ditch the 3.5 mm audio jack on the Note 10 and Galaxy S11 models

South Korean news outlet ETNews recently reported on Samsung’s plans to eliminate the popular 3.5 mm audio jack on its 2019 and 2020 flagship smartphones. Apparently, the good old audio jack is technically outdated and many other phone makers like Apple, Sony and quite a few Chinese companies have already left it behind. Samsung is among the few companies reticent to completely part ways with the audio jack, but it looks like it is at least willing to give wireless earphones a try, even if the audio jack is still preferred by many smartphone users.

Strategy Analytics claims that the global earphone market appears to be one of the fastest-growing sectors, with 73.9 million units expected to be sold in 2019 and over 100 million units projected sales for 2022. If projections hold true, this would translate to 42% growth in 2-4 years.

While it does not name the exact models that will be missing the audio jack, the Korean report mentions that Samsung may not provide the connector on devices launching in fall 2019 and afterwards. The Note 10 phablet might still make the cut (depending on the release schedule) and could very well be the last model to feature this type of connector, but the Galaxy S11 will not include it anymore. With the audio jack out of the picture, Samsung may provide increased battery capacities or include new connector types.

Audiophile purist may find this shift a deal-breaker and could steer clear from Samsung’s devices, but there is always the possibility of getting a USB-C  to 3.55 mm dongle to use the best of both worlds.

Source(s)