The Moto Z Rids Itself of the 3.5mm Jack and No One Knows What to Think


LenovoMotoZWhat the new Moto Z features, or shall I say, does not feature, could completely change the way smartphone manufacturers design their phones. Either that, or no one will follow suit, and then this will turn out to be a pathetic story. It is hard to tell. The newly-revealed Lenovo-owned Moto Z does not feature the headphone jack we’re used to. You know, that 3.5mm socket that has been on the side of a smartphone for as long as we can remember? We’re not exactly considering this as the company trying to make waves, like when the USB-Type C quickly became the new norm most new notebooks and hybrids. It’s most likely in effort to keep shrinking the smartphone down to the thinnest possible size one could luster. The headphone jack, although quite tiny, has somewhat been an issue manufacturers have faced in the whole size category. Hence, changing it will not only prevent Apple buds, Beats By Dre, and our pricey headphones to work with future smartphones, but might mean folks will have to resort to connector convertors. It doesn’t seem like the best news ever, but let’s be real, things upgrade. It’s the Future.

LenovoMotoZ1Luckily we have a few more answers than questions regarding this notion of no headphone jack. This idea has actually been a living thing for a while, Motorola is just the first known company to pull the trigger and launch a device without it. See, for a while, we’ve heard rumors here and there regarding plans from Apple to reveal an iPhone sans the headphone jack. Plus, Lenovo and China-based LeEco have also announced their own devices sans the audio hole.

LenovoMotoZ2The Moto Z sports a 5.2-inch display, and is touting itself as “one of the thinnest premium smartphones available” (Mirror UK). With ports only including the new USB Type-C, and a required USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter with a 3.5mm headphone plug to use your existing headphones, the Moto Z sure holds shock value. Mirror UK further explains the options, stating, “This means either buying a compatible pair of headphones, forking out for an adapter, or relying on Bluetooth”. Thankfully, Motorola already provides an adapter in the box to convert your current ear pieces (that’s actually awesome).

Before fearing the future, face it, the fact that Apple has been rumored to adopt the change on out next iPhones means a lot more for the smartphone market than the Moto Z announcement alone. Where Apple goes, the smartphone market usually follows, it’s just hard to tell if they’d be “benevolent” enough to stuff an expensive adapter in there. I bet it’s going to be exactly like the switch to USB-Type C- you got the latest device, you’re going to have to live with the latest connective hardware.

Topics: Technology News Gadgets & Peripherals Smartphones & Mobile Devices

Join the conversation!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.