At least for the next few years, I am pretty firm on needing a jack on my device.
I am currently using an LG v60, and while nice, it’s starting to show its age.
Any suggestions on where to go next?
I was looking at the ROG phone, and while it does seem very nice, I feel like it is a bit much as I don’t game on my device at all.
Are there any good phones I should be looking at?
Thanks!
Depends on your budget and location.
Unlimited budget: Sony Xperia 1 V ($1400). Has almost anything you’d want. SD8G2, MicroSD slot, etc.
High budget: Asus Zenfone 9 ($700). Great compact phone with a headphone jack. Alternatively wait for the Zenfone 10 to come out as it’s coming out this week.
Or even the Xperia 5 V ($1000), a slightly downgraded version of the 1 V.
Lower budget: Sony Xperia 10 V ($450). Expensive for the specs but you get outstanding battery life, 25-50% more than any other phone on this list. And it’s the only budget phone with a telephoto lens.
USA pick: Moto G Stylus 5G (2022). Can be picked up for $250 on Amazon and has excellent all-around specs for the price.
Europe/Asia picks: Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ ($350) if you want good cameras for the price. However the chipset might struggle with MIUI from time to time.
Xiaomi Poco X5 pro ($300). Good all-arounder at this price.
Xiaomi Poco F5 ($400). Best chipset out of all of these budget phones, at nearly flagship levels.
The Zenphone 10 is launching in 3 days, it is also rumored to have a headphone jack like the previous Zenphone 9!
All I want in this whole world is a Zenphone 10 on Verizon. If literally any other carrier worked at my house (rural dead zone) I’d jump ship in a heartbeat.
Best, as far as specs? Gonna be the Asus Zenfone 10 (officially announcing 6/29 but most of the specs have been leaked) and the Sony Xperia 1 V (already available outside the US).
Both will have Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and plenty of memory and storage. The lower models of Xperia (5 and 10) will also have headphone jacks but somewhat lesser specs.
https://www.androidpolice.com/leak-asus-zenfone-10-every-angle/
FWIW the Xperia I V is very very similar to the I IV, it’s predecessor. Sony’s software support kinda sucks (only 2 years of Android updates, IIRC) but you can likely get a decent deal on last year’s phone at this point.
If you’re interested in custom ROMs or want something less Google-centric like GrapheneOS, you could also consider the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, or 5a, depending on your size preferences. They’re losing official support now or soon but they’re still very good phones, very cheap refurbished, and GrapheneOS should be supporting them for a few more years just fine.
The 1 IV is known to have overheating issues with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. I’d recommend an Xperia 5 V instead.
I considered posting about the previous gen Zenfone and Xperia, but the 8G1 gets hot and throttles frequently from what I’ve read.
Good point about the pixels. I put Graphene on my 5 and it runs nicely.
I was under the impression that GrapheneOS support lasts only as long as the official support, for security reasons.
I’m still clinging on to my samsung s10e and hope to get another year or so out of it…after that I think I’m just gonna bite the bullet and get a dongle dac.
I like to fall asleep listening to podcasts, so sadly I need something that can play and charge at the same time.
I did have a Pixel 2 XL back in the day, and perhaps the situation has improved, but bakc then the dongles were incredibly unreliable…
I do the same. After switching to a headphone-jack-free phone, I got a Bluetooth headband with speakers in it that’s specially made for sleeping. The sound quality is pretty poor, but I’m only using it for podcasts and it’s fairly comfortable (more comfortable than earphones for me).
Fascinating, you mind linking me to what you use?
Would something like a FiiO BTR5 fill your need? It’s a bluetooth wireless/wired DAC
The Zenphone 9 is a great phone. If you don’t mind going for a slightly older phone, then I would recommend the Galaxy A52s.
I was considering this one, but I have heard wildly different stories from people using them.
Some say it’s an incredible phone, some say it’s a laggy nightmare with bad battery life.
Unsure who to believe.
The battery life is incredible for me (~72h max) and don’t think I ever experienced any lag.
I think it is probably only a small number of people that have the battery issues and posted online since the ones with working phones won’t post about that. Could be a software issue (Network reconnecting? Battery not properly calibrated?). Anyway this should be fixable by RMA on the off chance that it does happen to you.
Asus Zenfone 9 and Xiaomi Poco F5 are also viable options
Poco sadly doesn’t have all the connection bands I need.
I own both of these:
- Pixel 5a 5G (although updates end in 1 year)
- Asus Zenfone 9
They’re both good!
Sony Xperia phones?
Not sure if you can still get a Samsung A52s. That’d be a nice pick if you still can get it. It’s what I use and it’s one of the few with the trifecta of features I was looking for: 3.5mm jack, memory card slot, and OIS in the main camera.
I’m hoping the EU’s new battery law will mean all countries will get Sony Xperias with removable batteries, though I realize it’s probably too much to expect.
I’ve actually heard really good things about this.
Just wasn’t sure about if the SD865 was already feeling sluggish to me, the Samsung midrange would feel even slower.
I don’t find it slow, it does what I want.
Think about it, easily 70% of the world’s smartphone users are on something like a Snapdragon 600 series or lower, and they use it as a main computing device; it may not be blazing fast but it’ll get the job done.
GSM Arena has a “phone finder” tool that allows you to lookup phones with specific features. There are over 500 phones released in 2022 to present with a headphone jack. You can narrow that down a lot if you only look at phones with IPX8 water resistance.
Some options:
- Sony Xperia 1 V (expensive)
- Sony Xperia 10 V
- Asus Zenfone 9
- Samsung Galaxy Xcover6 Pro
- Nokia XR21
A few days ago there was talk about the Asus Zenfone 10, maybe it’s worth taking a look at.
My zenfone 8 is solid, but has high treble when listening on max on my headphone and Planar IEM. I would not necesserily recommend builtin jacks. If you can choose a lot cheaper device for lack of a jack, you can get a fucking great bluetooth adapter and a very good IEM from the difference.
Apart from that, I recommend Gigaset/Volla and Fairphone since they are servicable and have removable batteries.
Pixel 4a (5g version) amazing phone, I pur calyx OS onto it ( you must buy an unlocked version if you wish to run calyx ) I cannot recommend it enough… got to have a headphone jack
Xperia if you’re into photography at all
I am really happy with my Asus Zenphone 9. The best feature is the long battery life, if i wanted i could use the phone for ~72h. Though I usually charge it to 80% and charge the phone every 2 days instead. The Battery Life was my main buying point, the aux and smaller size were important though too.
It also has an actual gimble for camera stabilisation in the lense instead of the typical stabilization through a sensor, though i guess it is more of a gimmick. I myself don’t take that many action shots where this could be useful, so I can’t really give any info if it is better than the usual way of stabilization.
Since it is an Asus phone I think it also is pretty powerful and power efficient for mobile gaming if that interests you (I don’t care about that).End of this Month they will also reveal the Zenphone 10, so maybe this might also be a possible phone to check out. I bought mine also directly release last year since I was looking for a new phone around that time. It was bundled with a chromebook that I was able to resell so it was a nice deal in comparison to other comparable phones.
Still rocking my S10 that I believe is the best phone made.
Wireless charging, wireless power sharing, good waterproof rating, headphone port etc.
Holding onto this thing as long as possible. Might price out a battery replacement… 💪
As a phone repair tech, Samsung phones are some of the easiest to repair. Especially for batteries or (if you can get Samsung OEM parts) screens.
I highly recommend you take a look at installing the new battery yourself if you’re able to be precise with a screwdriver. All it takes is the aforementioned screwdriver, a hair dryer/heat gun, and an old credit card.
The only parts you’ll have to buy are the battery and the water resistant seal for the back glass.
Eh…Galaxy S5 is a bitch to repair. Specifically for the display.
Samsung have some of the best handsets in the market hands down, but pixel isn’t too bad either
I’d agree to that. I’ve been a pixel user for a few years now, the only reason I chose them over Samsung is that I don’t like Samsung’s software preload.
It may be on the older side, but I’ve been using my Pixel 4A for three years or so, no complaints. I also use the headphone whenever possible. Also using GrapheneOS.
You may want to check out the Pixel 5A (also has a headphone jack if I’m not mistaken) for a bit of a newer phone, but the one I got used seems to have a band issue in which it would forcefully shut down after some time with my SIM card.
The pixel 5a has some reliability issues it’s predassessors did not. It is an extremely fragile device.
I think the fragility is either overstated or there were some lemons in the batch. I’ve had mine since day one, don’t treat it with kid gloves and have never had an issue.
I had one break, then another, then another. Granted I’m rougher with my phone than most, but that sort of pattern hasn’t popped up with other phones.
What breaks? The screen?
