ASUS - ZenTalk

long_gregg · ‎07-22-2020

I'm just going to say it even though there is nothing I can do about it. The loss of the headphone jack is a tremendous disappointment to me. This phone was tailor made for it. It has a big screen and a huge battery which makes it a prefect media consumption device. I don't game at all and I love this phone. Even MKBHD gave it a very favorable rating last year for this reason alone. I would often sit at my desk with my comfortable headphones on watching YouTube and Netflix on slow days on the ROG2. No worrying about charging bluetooth earbuds and nothing jammed in my ear canal which invariably hurts after a while. And if you are actually a gamer I can't but imagine that a wired headphone and mic would be very much a preferred option. Really believe this was a big mistake. I can't see any reason to have done this with a phone that has plenty of room to keep the jack.

Cenimm · ‎07-22-2020

long.gregg
I'm just going to say it even though there is nothing I can do about it. The loss of the headphone jack is a tremendous disappointment to me. This phone was tailor made for it. It has a big screen and a huge battery which makes it a prefect media consumption device. I don't game at all and I love this phone. Even MKBHD gave it a very favorable rating last year for this reason alone. I would often sit at my desk with my comfortable headphones on watching YouTube and Netflix on slow days on the ROG2. No worrying about charging bluetooth earbuds and nothing jammed in my ear canal which invariably hurts after a while. And if you are actually a gamer I can't but imagine that a wired headphone and mic would be very much a preferred option. Really believe this was a big mistake. I can't see any reason to have done this with a phone that has plenty of room to keep the jack.

Just going to say it - loss of headphone jack sucks

Use the aircooler and you are good to go?

Android · ‎07-22-2020

Cenimm
https://zentalk.asus.com/en/discussion/32308/just-going-to-say-it-loss-of-headphone-jack-sucks
Use the aircooler and you are good to go?

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Not the same. What if you're on the bus or walking in the street and just want to listen to music while keeping your phone in your pocket? That is unnecessary bulk being added while being no better than a dongle. It's also kinda dumb to have fans running in your pocket when you're simply walking in the streets listening to music.
To the defense of ASUS however, the lack of headphone jack is a bit expected because the Snapdragon 865 doesn't have an integrated modem and requires a dedicated one which takes up more space on the phone. While this is disappointing it would be inexcusable for their next phone to lack the 3.5mm headphone jack since the next Snapdragon SoC is expected to have an integrated modem again.
Speaking of the AeroActive Cooler, I wouldn't mind if the ROG Phone lacked the headphone jack if the AeroActive Cooler features a good 3.5mm headphone amp while allowing me to turn off the fans. This would excuse the added bulk and worth carrying around for a walk.

Anders_ASUS · ‎07-23-2020

We really did want to keep the headphone jack. It was not an easy decision to remove it but it was necessary in order to fit everything else. It might seem like a small component in such a big phone but when there's no space, then there's no space and we needed everything else.

Android · ‎07-23-2020

Anders_ASUS
We really did want to keep the headphone jack. It was not an easy decision to remove it but it was necessary in order to fit everything else. It might seem like a small component in such a big phone but when there's no space, then there's no space and we needed everything else.

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I'm going to assume that the reason there is no space is due to the Snapdragon 865 SoC requiring a dedicated modem which I hear takes up some space. Rumors suggest that next year's Snapdragon SoC will have an internal modem again so there shouldn't be a reason for the headphone jack to not return.
By the way, I'd like to suggest for the ROG Phone 3 or future ROG Phone to come with an accessory that functions as a headphone amp with a 3.5mm jack much like the AeroActive Cooler. I wouldn't mind having slightly extra bulk in my pocket if it means improved audio quality when listening to music on the streets, bus, or train. The ROG Phone would be one hell of a multimedia beast.