Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Some time ago, Xiao Lei returned the Xperia 1V phone that had been booked early. The reason is actually very simple: in the case of a basic understanding of Sony mobile phone camera level, Xiao Lei does not think this phone is worth the price of 9049 yuan, intend to wait a while to see if there are other ways to start at a lower price. But the reason I bought this phone in the first place was simpler than not buying it: it was one of the few flagship phones on the market that also offered a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Photo source: Sony Who can think that in 2023, the headphone interface, like the physical air conditioning knob of the car, has become a core selling point worthy of special mention.

Born to transmit sound Although everyone talks about the headphone hole, the first thing that comes to mind is the 3.5mm headphone jack, but like the USB-C headphone jack that now occupies the nest, 3.5mm is also a "latecomer" in the field of headphone jack. Leaving aside the older era of wiring without a unified interface, the modern meaning of "earphone interface" actually originated from the old telephone wiring switch.

Just like in the movie "John Wick", in the era of manual wiring, the operator needs to continuously switch the cables of different telephones, and the frequently plugged telephone lines need a simple and durable interface system, which is the predecessor of modern "communication terminals". Later, this port system, which is easy to operate, durable and designed to transmit audio signals from the beginning, was naturally applied to later devices such as headphones.

For example, the 6.3mm (quarter-inch) headphone jack commonly found in modern high-end, professional audio products actually originated from the first generation of artificial telephone exchanges used in 1887. Even for a long time, the 6.3mm interface was the default "headphone interface" for everyone.

Although 6.3mm does not occupy much space in professional audio equipment such as electric guitars and transistors, with the development of the microelectronic industry, electronic products have shown a trend of miniaturization and mobility. In the 1960s, the popularity of AA batteries really freed electronics from the shackles of power cords, and mobile electronics mushroomed. At this point, the 6.3mm headphone jack seems to be getting in the way. So after cutting the power cord, users and brands began to work on the headset cord.

3.5mm specific invention in which year has not been verified, but from the information found, the earliest use of 3.5mm products should be Sony's Walkman player. Yes, Sony finally gave up on 3.5mm--in 1979, Sony introduced the first Walkman--TPS-L2.

Image source: Sony As the first successful commercial portable music player, the significance of TPS-L2 is no longer a music player, but has become one of the symbols of the trend culture at that time. Coupled with the support of resources from Sony, the TPS-L2 soon became the "industry template" for personal music devices at that time, and the 3.5mm interface system became the most commonly used interface in the personal audio field at that time with the popularity of the TPS-L2.

But is 3.5mm the ultimate headphone jack solution? The answer is no. Around 2006, mobile phones appeared a trend of miniaturization, occupying a space smaller than 3.5mm 2.5mm headphone jack began to be part of the mobile phone brand "pilot."

It is worth noting that the 2.5mm balance port used in the 2.5mm and high-end audio products here cannot be confused. Although the interfaces look similar, there are differences in how the terminals are defined. At that time, the 2.5mm unbalanced headphones and 3.5mm headphones were exactly the same in terminal definition, except for a slight difference in size. However, since mainstream headphone products usually only provide conventional 3.5mm headphone interfaces, 2.5mm unbalanced headphones have been abandoned by the market in a short time, and 3.5mm has become synonymous with headphone interfaces.

But soon, the 3.5mm headphone jack ushered in its first strong enemy.

Before the mobile phone industry entered the era of full screen, thickness was one of the most common areas of mobile phone brands. At the height of the craziest thickness roll, the record for thinnest smartphone can even be refreshed in 30 minutes. In order to control the thickness of mobile phones, mobile phone brands can say that they do everything possible, but no matter how hard the brand tries, the 3.5mm headphone interface is always a technical problem that mobile phone brands cannot bypass.

The 3.5mm interface refers to the size of the headphone jack. Since the headphone plug has to go 3.5mm, the interface that accommodates the headphone plug should be thicker than 3.5mm anyway. At that time, the outer diameter of most 3.5mm headphone interfaces alone came to 5mm. In order to solve the thickness limit of the 3.5mm headphone jack, some brands even "resurrected" the 2.5mm headphone jack that had been abandoned at that time, only to steal the insignificant 1 mm.

In 2014, Oppo gave the answer to the 3.5mm puzzle with Oppo R5.

OPPO just said that the outer diameter of the 3.5mm headphone jack is usually 5mm, but this smartphone released in 2014 is as thin as 4.85mm. The secret to becoming a Space Wizard is also very simple-a Micro USB to 3.5mm converter.

Photo source: Lei Technology Yes, the OPPO R5 is not equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack, but it provides a USB port to headphone adapter in the phone package. From the negative point of view, OPPO R5 did create an era when charging could not listen to songs with wired headphones, but from the positive point of view, OPPO's bold move did propose a good solution.

In fact, OPPO was not the only one who thought of replacing the 3.5mm headphone jack with a converter, but most brands were temporarily shelved for fear of user dissatisfaction. The appearance of the OPPO R5 is a good example for other mobile phone brands, and it also temporarily maintains the industry positioning of the 3.5mm headphone interface. Later, there were also mobile phone brands who wanted to "hands-on" the headphone interface. For example, LeTV mobile phones took the lead in adopting USB-C headphone interfaces.

But the one who really started the "no headphone jack" movement had to be our old acquaintance Apple.

Image source: iFixit2016, iPhone 7 released. Although Apple arranged a lot of song performances after the launch event, the iPhone 7 as the first flagship phone without a 3.5mm interface was still criticized by a large number of users. From the disassembled view, the space originally belonging to the headphone jack has now been replaced by a larger Taptic Engine linear vibration unit and a new barometer outlet. According to Apple, this new component can be used to balance the atmospheric pressure inside and outside the phone.

In other words, the iPhone 7 is the first time that a mobile phone brand has not voluntarily abandoned the headphone jack because of the "thickness limit" of the mobile phone. As compensation, Apple offers users three different headset solutions:

First, all iPhones are equipped with EarPods wired headphones with Lightning interface; secondly, when users buy iPhone 7, a Lightning to 3.5mm converter will also be included in the package, which is convenient for users to use 3.5mm headphones. Of course, you can also buy an AirPods for $1288 to listen to music on your iPhone in a "more elegant" way.

Image source: Apple But unfortunately, the hot sale of iPhone and AirPods provides a public opinion "bottom" safety net for mobile phone brands to remove 3.5mm earphone structure, and countless fake AirPods also bring cheap TWS headphones to users. Just like the TPS-L2, AirPods became a new generation of pop culture icons, and TWS headphones gradually became mainstream.

At this time, the 3.5mm headphones became a thankless representative.

What we miss, is it really the headphone jack? Many brands will use the waterproof nature of the phone to excuse the behavior of not providing a 3.5mm headphone jack. It's true that not offering a 3.5mm headphone jack can reduce the number of holes in the body, but Sony uses Xperia every year to prove that it can be waterproof with a headphone jack, not to mention that most phones simply fail the IP67 test.

In fact, eliminating the 3.5mm headphone port is more about cost considerations: whether users buy their TWS headphones or not, omitting the opening step and component costs can also reduce the cost of the phone. In addition, the earphone structure itself is a wearing part that is often plugged and unplugged. Removing the earphone interface can also reduce the after-sales cost of the mobile phone once and for all.

According to the data of China Electronic Audio Industry Association, the output value of traditional wired headphones in China is about 40 billion yuan, and it continues to shrink. The market space is gradually occupied by wireless headphones and leads the growth of earphone industry. In 2018, the output value of wireless headphones has accounted for more than half of 60%, and the glory of wired headphones has gone forever.

One thing for sure is that no matter how much we miss the 3.5mm headphone jack, wired headphones are unlikely to become the mainstream configuration of mobile phones again. In this increasingly radical trend of non-porous mobile phones, future mobile phones may not even provide charging interfaces. The market for wired headphones is unlikely to disappear completely. High-end headphones and low-cost headphones, as the two extremes of the wired headset market, still support the remaining market space for wired headphones and speak for their respective user groups.

However, for most users, compared with the real use demand, everyone's nostalgia for wired headphones is more just a sigh of "time flies", really willing to buy, use wired headphones is always a minority, this generation has been demonstrated by the data of the China Electronic Audio Industry Association. Besides, Short Video on buses, subways and high-speed trains also show that most people don't care about headphones or speakers at all.

In the face of the TWS wave that is impossible to turn back, we don't miss 3.5mm wired headphones so much as we miss the golden age of smartphones when mobile phone brands reached the peak of creativity and didn't use lame reasons to excuse PUA consumer behavior.

This article comes from Weixin Official Accounts: Lei Technology (ID: leitech), Author: Lei Technology Digital Group 3C

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