Samsung Galaxy Fold Will Not Have a 3.5mm Headphone Jack

The Samsung Galaxy Fold was finally unveiled after years of rumours, and is the first mainstream foldable smartphone. While it doesn't go on sale till April this year, it's already captured the collective attention of the tech world. However, unlike the Samsung Galaxy S10 series which continues to feature the headphone jack, the Galaxy Fold will do away with the legacy audio socket. Images of the device show the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, suggesting that buyers of the phone will be dependent on wireless headphones, adapters, or USB Type-C headphones.

Samsung, at its recent event in San Francisco, also launched the Samsung Galaxy S10 series. The three devices in that series are priced much lower than the Galaxy Fold, and sport the 3.5mm headphone jack. These phones go on sale in March, while the Galaxy Fold goes on sale on April 26. Although we haven't had a chance to try out the Galaxy Fold, there's a lot visible from the specifications sheet.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold will have a 7.3-inch screen when opened up, which can be folded to a smaller size. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, and has a triple-camera setup at the rear. However, as is visible in the images of the device, the phone only has a USB Type-C port, with no headphone jack visible. This has always been a touchy topic for users, since this takes away the ease of connecting a wide range of compatible headphones.

Instead, users will be forced to use wireless headphones, USB Type-C adapters or wired USB Type-C headphones with the Samsung Galaxy Fold, as is already the case with various Android devices such as the Google Pixel 3 range and OnePlus 6T. While the benefits of cutting edge technology and the novelty of a folding screen might make it worth the sacrifice, it's still a concerning trend for many audio enthusiasts and the headphone industry going forward.

With Galaxy Fold, has Samsung kicked off a revolution in smartphone tech? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.