Yesterday it was teased, and today it’s been confirmed. The OnePlus 5T will definitely have a 3.5mm headphone jack. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau wrote a blog post talking about why the company keeps the headphone jack while other companies remove it from flagships.
OnePlus offers two reasons for keeping the headphone jack. The first is audio quality. Since the company doesn’t believe wireless earbuds are on the same level as wired earbuds, OnePlus doesn’t want to funnel customers into a subpar experience. There are high-end wireless products out there, but OnePlus doesn’t feel you should have to pay hundreds of dollars to get decent listening for music, podcasts, and more.
The second reason from the company is user freedom. OnePlus knows that, if it gets rid of the headphone jack, its customers could still choose a wired connection but with limitations. OnePlus even admits it thought about adding a second USB-C port. Whether there’s one or two of them, the connectors normally going into a headphone jack would require an adapter. That’s just more for users to deal with.
OnePlus isn’t denying wireless audio technology’s place in the world, though:
“Wireless audio technology has a lot of potential. And if you prefer wireless headphones, our flagships have excellent Bluetooth capability for this choice. But our goal from the beginning has been to bring better technology to the world. That’s why we prioritize the user and make good technology accessible.”
Aside from providing OnePlus’ reasoning, Lau took a not-so-subtle shot at Apple. The iPhone 7 was one of the first mainstream devices to do away with headphone jack, which Apple called a courageous decision. OnePlus doesn’t agree with Apple and the other companies who’ve opted to remove the headphone jack.
Here’s what he said regarding Apple:
“Sometimes, industry trends go against our core beliefs. This is one of those times when we respectfully disagree on what it means to be courageous. That’s why we’re keeping the headphone jack for the OnePlus 5T — and confident that our product decisions for our upcoming device will offer the best flagship experience possible.”
OnePlus still hasn’t shared when the phone will debut, but a recent leak points to a launch happening in two weeks. The OnePlus 5T should then be immediately available in numerous countries around the world.
