Why USB-C headphones aren’t, and likely never will be, mainstream

Why USB-C headphones aren’t, and likely never will be, mainstream

6 years ago
Anonymous $cyhBy-qkd5

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/6/15/17467216/usb-c-headphones-wireless-future

One of the sharpest-felt pains of the current obliteration of headphone jacks from the smartphone market is the absence of a good wired alternative. Sure, every company that ditches the analog jack tells you to go wireless, but what if you don’t want another gadget that needs regular charging, or you switch devices often and don’t enjoy diagnosing Bluetooth pairing problems every day? USB-C headphones are the perfect, most logical cure for our self-inflicted audio connection headaches, filling the void left by the humble 3.5mm connector’s absence by letting users of Android phones and a majority of new laptops plug into the digital port for their sound instead. And yet, such headphones and earphones remain scarce and expensive, a status that seems unlikely to ever change.

Here are the main reasons why USB-C headphones are destined to only ever be a niche category: