OnePlus Considered Ditching The Headphone Jack, OnePlus 6 Prototype Suggests
The OnePlus 6 was launched in India on 17th May at a starting price of Rs 34999. Apart from its specifications and design, one thing a lot of consumers were satisfied with, was the presence of the headphone jack. OnePlus continues to be one of the last few smartphone makers to stick with the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack as the industry, at large, prepares us for a wireless future. However, OnePlus did consider removing the headphone from the OnePlus 6.
OnePlus recently showed off a slew OnePlus 6 prototypes to PCMag. Apart from the range of colour variants on display, an interesting aspect was that some prototypes did not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Considering that OnePlus also launched its first-ever pair of Bluetooth earphones, it isn’t a giant leap to assume that removal of the headphone jack was discussed. And this poll might have helped tip the decision in favour of the headphone jack.
Do you like headphone jacks? ? (2018 edition)
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) March 14, 2018
With the Bullets Wireless earphones being praised for their price to performance ratio, it does seem like the company is preparing its loyal users for a headphone jack-less OnePlus device. However, it is anybody’s guess for now when that will happen. The OnePlus 6T is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2018 but, it is not likely that the company will pull the plug on the headphone jack so soon.
Must Read: OnePlus 6 Red Edition Launched For Rs. 39,999
OnePlus Bullets Wireless
The colour variants on display also give us an insight on how many prototypes a company goes through before choosing one variant. OnePlus even had a colour shifting variant like the Huawei P20 Pro on display. However, one of the engineers conceded that it was never a part of the discussion about the OnePlus 6 colour variants. It was merely a representation of what the engineering team was capable of producing.
Apple’s decision to remove the headphone jack in 2016 was not a very popular one. However, two years on and the industry, more or less, has complied. OnePlus will also soon get rid of the port as it increases its Bluetooth accessories portfolio.
