If recent rumors are to be trusted, the Google Pixel 2 won’t feature the common 3.5mm headphone jack. It won’t be the first to rid of it – the iPhone 7, HTC U11and the Moto Z were among the more popular models to lop it off in the last year. And it certainly won’t be the last.
It’s difficult to excuse any company for leaving out such a trusty port. But unlike other ipad battery replacement manufacturers, the Google Pixel 2 might have the best reason for cutting the cord so far: Android O. Specifically, the new operating system’s support for a plethora of high-quality Bluetooth codecs, including aptX, aptX HD and LDAC.
A codec, by the way, is a data compression standard. Many of today's popular Bluetooth codecs, like AAC and SBC are highly compressed and if you're a discerning listener, these typically don't result in a great listening experience.
Typically, the onus to include support for one of these low-compression codecs has been on the side of the device manufacturer. To name a few examples from the past, we’ve seen the LG G5’s support for aptX HD, as well as the many, many Sony Xperia iPad Mini parts that support LDAC, the company’s own Hi-Res audio codec. If you want solid wireless performance, only a few Android phones can suit those needs.
But given what we’ve seen in the Android O developer preview, this practice seems to be shifting away from the currently fragmented per-device basis to potentially encompassing each and every device running the latest Android software.
While one company cites “courage” as the inspiration behind leaving out the legacy port, and others offer up nary a reason for doing the same, the Pixel 2’s total shift to wireless might be the most encouraging nudge for those who are hesitant to make the switch to wireless headphones due to the warranted worry of reduced sound quality. Additionally, the lack of headphone jack in Google’s next flagship could actually be the one to push the wireless headphone industry forward.
Still, it’s hard not to consider that Google could be making the same strides in wireless all while keeping the headphone jack. Why does one have to come at the expense of the other?