The 3.5mm audio jack has been used in electronics for more than 120 years. The headphone jack, i.e. 3.5mm audio port was a feature of high-end smartphones for a short period. Nokia tends to use its proprietary adapter, active DAC and 3.5mm jack on the adapter. Adding a 3.5mm port always invited certain problems. After Nokia’s days were over, there was no other option other than using a 3.5mm jack.
A 3.5mm headphone jack in high-end smartphones was never an optimum solution however present USB Type C audio output also has certain issues.
What is the Difference Between 3.5mm Jack and USB Type-C Port?
3.5mm headphone jack delivers processed analog audio. That means, when you are playing a digital file on your smartphone, all of the digital conversion and headphone driving components such as Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC), amplifier are housed in the smartphone. It invites four problems:
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- If you want to route this analog sound towards an external DAC and/or a high-end audio device, there will be quality deterioration.
- The smartphone manufacturers can not always control which DAC IC will be used on the motherboard. Not all DAC ICs are suitable for the non-music purposes of the smartphone. Smartphones typically require low power consumption, and faster responding DAC IC. Simply speaking, smartphone manufacturers are unable to deliver audiophile-quality sound output.
- The 3.5mm headphone jack wastes some space, when the USB Type-C port is already present it is meaningless to increase the thickness of the metal frame and add another hole.
- It is unconventional to deliver balanced audio with a 3.5mm standard.
The USB Type-C port just delivers the digital signal – it needs external processing with some DAC and amplifier. This adds three advantages:
- The smartphone user can use any external DAC of his/her choice, usually the manufacturers (such as Apple, and Samsung) offer a basic one as a “USB Type-C to 3.5mm converter”. It is not a costly option.
- In the same way, the smartphone user can route the digital audio to any high-end audio system.
- The thickness of the smartphone can be decreased
- The audio, track, shuffling, and equalizer can be controlled via wire. You can not do so advanced controls with analog signal
The high-end DAC chips cost a few dollars.
We have published an article on Best Earphone/IEM, DAC & Music Player for Samsung S24 Ultra which answers your music related questions.
In above image, author of plainquotes.com demonstrating Samsung’s official USB Type-C to 3.5mm converter. We also suggest to purchase this one.
Understood. But How We Will Charge the Smartphone While Listening to the Music?
The audio delivery via USB Type-C Port is not completely matured. You can use Bluetooth earphones while charging to receive phone calls. You can use the wireless charging function. There are complicated splitting dongles coming on the market which allow you to charge, listen to music and transfer files at the same time. USB Type-C specification allows you to use it in home cinema setups, speaker systems, and other home gadgets.
All of us understand that shifting from a 3.5mm headphone jack to a USB Type-C Port invites some problems. But you can rely on us – just adding the official “converter” solves your major problem.
