Samsung had another exciting lineup of flagship smartphones to show off at this week’sGalaxy Unpacked effect . Although there were n’t too many surprise , this class ’s Galaxy S25 models take the lineup to new height with a more processed aesthetic for the Galaxy S25 Ultra and more power and long battery life across the board , thanks to Qualcomm ’s latestSnapdragon 8 Elite chip .
Nevertheless , Samsung leave us with one shrewish question when it introduces each year ’s latest Galaxy S series models : will this class mark the recurrence for the headphone jack ? Bluetooth headphones may be all the furor these years , andSamsung ’s Galaxy Buds 3 Promake a great companion for the company ’s gamey - end smartphones , but some folk still understandably favor pumped-up connections for nifty dependability and high level-headed quality .
The Galaxy S25 does not have a headphone jack
Aftermocking Apple for removing the headphone jackon the 2016 iPhone 7 , Samsung finally decided this was n’t such a risky thought . After all , the earpiece jack have up space in a smartphone that can be put to dear use , and by the time the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 serial publication came along in 2019 , Samsung had followed in Apple ’s footsteps — at least for its flagship phones .
The wallet - friendly Galaxy A1x serial publication held out for much longer , presumably because Samsung recognized that kinsfolk on close budgets were the least likely to splurge on wireless headphones . However , after the affordableGalaxy Buds FEcame along in tardy 2023 , we were n’t all that surprised when theGalaxy A16joined the diddlyshit - less club .
That decision makes it a safe bet that the phone doodly-squat is cash in one’s chips for good . Over the past few years , a 3.5 mm sound port has become a hallmark of humbled - end phones , which has put it well beneath the pedigree of the Galaxy S25 serial publication .
Alternatives to the missing headphone jack
That ’s not to say that pumped-up listeners are entirely leave out . The 3.5 millimeter headphone seafarer is one of these things that ’s become very “ last decade , ” and Samsung and other Android makers have had an ace up their corporate sleeve for years in the form of USB - C.
While Apple pass year forcing audiophiles to rely on its proprietary Lightning port to get wired audio , Samsung began its switch to USB - vitamin C with the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016 — the same year the iPhone 7 discharge the headphone jak . By 2017 , all of its flagship smartphones had made the shift , and by the early 2020s , it was n’t unvoiced to get hold wired USB - C models amongeven the most low-cost headphone . USB - C to 3.5 mm adapters were also copious , allowing tribe to habituate their preferent traditional earphone .
USB - C sound has a distinguishable vantage over traditional 3.5 mm headphone jacks because it offers an effectively lossless digital audio path . Traditional wired earphone require an parallel sign , which means your digital medicine has to be convert to analog inside the phone . Even in the days when 3.5 millimetre phone seaman were abundant , many euphony fans with more discerning eardrums chose to supply their owndigital - to - analog converters ( DACs)that could redeem far high calibre than the DAC built into most smartphones .
DACs are still the preferred gear for audiophiles with premium rump , but most phratry can get by with USB - C dongles that cost as picayune as $ 10 . Most of those wo n’t do much better than the DAC that was once build into Samsung ’s 3.5 mm jacks , but that ’s not go to matter much unless you ’re using expensive wired earbuds or headphones and listening to a high - fidelity lossless sound recording origin such as Apple Music , Amazon Music , or Tidal . Other popular cyclosis serving like Spotify cap out at 256–320kbps , well below the fidelity that an expensive DAC can bear .
This all assumes that you ’re really sell on the idea of wired audio . If quality is your primary concern , you may be pleasantly surprise by how well Samsung ’s Galaxy Buds diddle with Samsung ’s flagship phones . The company ’s proprietary Samsung Seamless Codec ( SSC ) can hand over near - lossless bitrates over Bluetooth , easily giving all but the dear DAC and wired headphone combos a run for their money .
You do n’t have to go with Samsung ’s bud , though . If you tend more toward on - ear or over - pinna models , plenty ofexcellent wireless headphoneshavesimilar hi - Re codecs . Only Samsung ’s earbuds support SSC , but the Galaxy S25 lineup can also deliver audio using Sony ’s LDAC , the key codec inthe antic Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones .
While none of these will rival a respectable readiness of pumped-up headphones with a eminent - end DAC , the best can easy surpass what you ’d get from a traditional 3.5 mm earpiece tar or a canonic $ 10 USB - C dongle . Still , wired headphones are heavy to beat if all you ’re looking for is something tinny and cheerful .
