Compare Phones with Headphone Jacks
Need a new phone with a headphone jack? If you prefer to listen with your own wired headphones, start here: all the phones in this list still have a 3.5mm jack. You’ll see the prices from all providers for each model side by side. Use the filters to narrow down your choices, or click through to a model you like.
Since 2016, more and more manufacturers have been omitting the 3.5mm jack to free up space for other components and to cut costs. So if you stick with it, you’ll have a smaller selection to choose from.
What should you look for in a phone with a headphone jack?
The jack itself is the same across the board. The difference lies in what you’re giving up and what’s behind the jack.
How do these phones really differ?
- Device type: the jack is mainly found on feature phones, rugged phones and entry-level models, and among high-end devices, it’s now only found on Sony models.
- What you give up: if you stick with the port, you’ll end up in a category where the camera and screen are usually less advanced than on phones without the port.
- Support duration: basic phones and entry-level models usually receive software updates less frequently and for a shorter period than more expensive models. Check the manufacturer’s promised update period for each specific device.
- Amplification behind the port: not every phone delivers the same amount of power. High-impedance headphones may sound quiet on some devices.
- Charging while listening: a dedicated headphone port keeps your USB-C port free, so you can listen and charge at the same time.
Every device in this overview works with any standard 3.5mm headphones, without an adapter and without an app. Only with high-impedance headphones might the volume be insufficient. So the choice isn’t about the port but about the rest of the phone.
Choose a rugged or basic model if the port is your top priority and you don’t need much from the camera.
Choose Sony if you want a top-of-the-line phone and don’t want to give up the port.
Choose a device without a port but with an adapter if you prioritize the camera and screen and are willing to carry an adapter.
Jack, TRS, and TRRS: What Do These Terms Mean?
The plug is usually called a jack plug; in Belgium, it’s also known as a klinkstekker. The 3.5mm size is standard for phones; hi-fi and studio headphones use the larger 6.35mm plug, which fits only with an adapter. A stereo plug has three parts and is called TRS: Tip, Ring, and Sleeve. If your headphones also have a microphone and a control button, the plug has a fourth part and is called TRRS: Tip, Ring, Ring, and Sleeve. TRRS headphones work in a TRS jack, but without the microphone.
Why did the headphone jack disappear?
The jack plug dates back to the era of manual telephone switchboards, where it was used to route calls. The 3.5mm version we know today emerged with the transistor radio and became the global standard with the first portable cassette players.
In 2016, Apple released the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus without this port, following months of speculation. Apple called the port redundant because you could connect headphones to the Lightning port via an adapter, and stated that omitting it freed up space for other components. That adapter was included in the box for the first few years, but starting with the iPhone XS and XR in 2018, it was no longer included: anyone who wanted to continue listening with wired headphones had to purchase it separately.
Many other manufacturers initially saw the port as an advantage and even advertised it, but eventually removed it in the years that followed. Consumers continued to buy devices without the port, and sales of wireless earbuds grew rapidly during that same period. The AirPods accounted for a large share of that growth. As a result, the port has largely disappeared from slim, high-end devices, while it has remained on simple and rugged phones.
