Don’t get me wrong. Apple removing audio jack was the biggest facepalm in smartphone history. And you can thank it for not being able to make an upgrade without sacrificing audio jack (and SD card too :/). But USB-C is getting standardized everywhere now (laptops, smartphones, etc.). What makes USB-C earphones not worth the switch?
USB C dongles have potential to be higher quality than your built in-jack if quality is the main concern
Now tell me how many of them actually are. This is just OEMs trying to save literal pennies across 100s of devices by externalizing the cost of a cheap DAC to their customers.
As people have mentioned, it’s not about saving $, it’s about saving space inside the device which is highly valuable
Lots of dongles are quite high quality. Apples even sounds good, and Moondrop makes a higher-end audiophile one that’s better than basically any built-in jack. There’s a pretty big market for good USB C dongles (less so for Lightning).
if you care a lot about audio quality, you might know that the companies always tried to save $$ but using pretty mediocre DAC’s internally
And all of those dongles work even if you keep the headphones jack. Bluetooth headphones work if you keep the headphone jack.
No one is saying don’t have USB-C on the phone, or that it doesn’t do some things well, we’re saying don’t take away our options.
Again, my point 1. was the space the headphone jack takes up.
Apple is going as far as to remove the sim-card slot in iPhones lol
While it’s true that some space is saved, that’s just the messaging Apple wants to push. The real reason is to sell AirPods.
Apple also wanted to make non-removable batteries standard to make devices thinner. They did and it was a huge marketing success that had the tiny side effect of planned obsolescence (oopsie).
I’m not saying we can never progress, but what Apple says and what Apple does are often two completely different things. Their engineers will grind incredible hours to meet a silly goal that management gave them of making something 0.2mm thinner. They can keep a headphone jack or a sim slot if they actually wanted to. They don’t want to.
Well batteries and headphone jacks seem pretty different. You can add a dongle for like $10. Having Apple replace your battery is prob 10x that.
I do 1/2 agree about the AirPods thing but, I’m not convinced the internal space isn’t one of the primary reasons
Apple are the last ones you can accuse of planned obsolescence in the phone world. They support their phones for 6+ years. They will replace your battery for cheap as chips.
Could you recommend one for lightning?
I have the official Apple Lightning-Aux for my AKG K361 and Grado SR60x. It has definitely adequate audio, no complaints.
I use the Apple USB C-Aux I use for when I use any headphones with my gaming PC (usually Koss Portapros). Also definitely adequate.
My impression with either one is - except for physical durability concerns, if either adapter can power what you’re plugging into it they’re awesome. If you need more power or physical controls or weird connection formats that’s where they start to not be great.
I’ve heard good things about the Apple ones?
The Apple one isn’t very durable but the sound quality is just as good as built-in jacks were. Not as much selection for Lightning :/