Skip to main content

Report: Apple will kill the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7

Apple lightning connected headphones
Even though the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus mildly surprised the world by being ever-so-slightly thicker than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple’s apparent obsession with thinness is far from over. A Japanese blog cites a source who says Apple intends to do away with the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack for the iPhone 7 and require users to hook up their cans via a Lightning connector or Bluetooth.

The move would enable Apple to shave off “more than 1mm” from the thickness of the current iPhone 6S, according to 9to5Mac, citing the Japanese blog Macotakara. This could give Apple an opportunity to boast that the iPhone 7 is the thinnest iPhone ever.

The 3.5mm headphone jack is essentially the bottleneck to supreme thinness, since it “can hardly be thinner because it is the world standard,” according to Macotakara. Apple once considered replacing the 3.5mm port with a 2.5mm port, according to 9to5Mac. Last year, Apple introduced Lightning headphone specs, though Lightning headphones are still a rarity.

“The report claims that Apple will bundle Lightning connector-equipped EarPods with the next iPhone, incorporating a tiny DA (Digital to Analog) converter into the connector,” according to 9to5Mac.

If this report is accurate, Apple’s move would open the floodgates for manufacturers of 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapters. It also surfaces questions about charging the iPhone while a headphone is plugged in.

Editors' Recommendations

Jason Hahn
Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…
5 things the iPhone 15 Pro Max needs to fix before I’ll buy it
iPhone 14 Pro Max in hand.

I’ve been using the top-of-the-line big iPhone for two years now. I shifted to the iPhone 13 Pro Max due to its amazing battery life – which inspired my favorite phone of 2022 article. I tried getting back to the non-Max iPhone 14 Pro, but I couldn’t stay long due to the weak battery life. Since then, I've shifted to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

After using the Pro Max iPhones for over 18 months, here’s what I think the next big Pro iPhone — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — must improve on to deserve the best phone of the year tag again.
The design needs a lot of work
Flat edges make the iPhone 14 Pro Max uncomfortable to hold. Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

Read more
Your iPhone could steal this Pixel Tablet feature when it gets iOS 17
iPhone 14 Pro with always on display no wallpaper or notifications

With iOS 17 coming in hot for its expected June reveal during Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, iPhone owners are anxious to hear about any big features coming with the update. According to Bloomberg, a major change is coming in the form of a complete interface overhaul for locked devices that effectively turns your iPhone into a smart display.

The new interface will supposedly display a plethora of information like the weather, push notifications, upcoming significant calendar dates, and more. Per the report, this new interface displays automatically when your iPhone is locked and laying horizontally with its screen facing up.

Read more
This phone just ruined the iPhone 14 Pro and Samung Galaxy S23 Ultra for me
Vivo X90 Pro with Yashica analog camera on a flat surface.

Vivo may not be as popular outside of China as its sister brands OnePlus and Realme, but it has recently gained widespread recognition for its impressive cameras on the flagship X series.

For their commendable camera quality, Vivo's X series phones rely on its partnership with Zeiss, which provides special lenses and helps tune colors for these devices. The Vivo X90 Pro is the latest product in the series to benefit from this exclusive partnership, which has resulted in some phenomenal photography.

Read more