Samsung is likely to skip the standard 3.5-mm headphone jack and even physical keys for functions like volume and power on its upcoming Galaxy Note 10.
"The Note 10 will have no 3.5mm connector, and exterior buttons (power, volume, Bixby) will be replaced by capacitive or pressure-sensitive areas, likely highlighted by some kind of raised 'bump' and/or texture along the edge (i.e. a faux button)," the Android Authority reported late on Thursday.
Removing the headphone jack would almost certainly result in criticism from some of those fans who have long held that Samsung's steadfast adherence to the 3.5-mm jack is one of their big reasons for sticking with the smartphone player.
"But in 2019, Samsung virtually stands alone in the high-end phone space in this regard. Google, OnePlus, Huawei and Apple have all abandoned the headphone jack on their premium devices. Even many budget phone-makers have started to purge it," the report added.
Amongst the premium brands selling phones in the market, Apple was the first big name to ditch the jack, in favour of wireless support for audio headsets, for which you get the AirPods.
After that, you had the OnePlus removing the feature from its 6T phone, in order to accommodate a bigger battery unit they said. Then Google followed with the Pixel but Samsung continued to move in the other direction, even highlighting the use of audio jack as a feature during its event.
But looks like Galaxy Note 10 would be its first device to not get a mention for the audio-centric hardware option. It will be interesting to hear the reason that Samsung has to give for taking it off and if so, what other feature we’ll get instead.
(With IANS inputs)
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