The Best Phones With an Actual Headphone Jack
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It’s been nearly 10 years since Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone. Yes, you can get excellent wireless earbuds nowadays, but maybe you prefer plugging in or don't want to charge your headphones. The joy of the 3.5-mm headphone connector is that it’s universal. You can use any pair of corded headphones—no need to worry about connectivity blips, charging batteries, dongles, or misplaced earbuds.
There are times when Bluetooth is preferable, but having the option is nice. Unfortunately, every year, another major manufacturer decides to cut the headphone jack from the feature list. In 2025, that was Samsung, which no longer offers the venerable port on its Galaxy A-series phones. But don't lose hope! You still have some options, like Motorola's Moto G Power 2026. As WIRED's smartphone reviewer, I go through handsets big and small, cheap and expensive—these are the best phones with the headphone jack.
Read our Best Android Phones, Best Samsung Phones, Best Motorola Phones, Best Pixel Phones, Best iPhones, and Best Cheap Phones guides for more.
Updated February 2026: We've added the Moto G Power 2026 and Nubia Redmagic 11 Pro.
What Happened to the Headphone Jack?
It all began when Apple removed the port on the iPhone 7 in 2016—yes, technically Oppo did it first, but it was Apple's decision that sparked an industry trend. Apple famously cited space-saving reasons to make the phone slimmer and fit a bigger battery, but it was also to nudge along the burgeoning wireless headphone market (guess who sits at the top right now?). Since then, other companies followed swiftly, until the port was only found on budget and midrange phones.
Now, cheap phones are beginning to lose the port, likely because you can buy decent wireless earbuds for as little as $30 these days. The 3.5-mm port will likely disappear entirely from all smartphones within the next few years.
Does Plugging In Get You Better Audio Quality?
Yes, plugging in a pair of wired headphones means the audio is not compressed, so it's able to transmit more detail, offering a higher-fidelity audio experience. There's also little to no latency, meaning there's no delay between the music coming from your phone to the audio playing through the headphones. Wired connections also have the benefit of zero connectivity issues, and you won't have to worry about battery life. Some wired earbuds also have physical buttons for music playback controls, which always beats out the finicky touch controls on most earbuds.
On the other hand, today's Bluetooth codecs are significantly better than those from even 5 years ago. Most people will not hear a huge difference in audio quality when using wired headphones versus wireless headphones.
You Can Use a USB-C Dongle
Not having a 3.5-mm port doesn't mean you can't use wired headphones at all with a smartphone. You can buy a USB-C headphone dongle, which plugs into the USB-C port of your smartphone and adds a 3.5-mm port.
Apple USB-C to 3.5-mm Adapter for $9. This adapter from Apple will do the job for any smartphone with a USB-C port—that means Android phones and the iPhone 15 and newer. I recommend buying a few because they’re easy to lose. If you have an iPhone with the Lightning port (iPhone 14 and older), you'll have to go for a third-party dongle as Apple officially discontinued its adapter.
Google USB-C Earbuds for $35: Alternatively, you can use USB-C earbuds. They're standard wired earbuds, but instead of a 3.5-mm connector at the end, it's a USB-C one that connects to your phone's charging port. I've used these earbuds from Google for a few years—they sound decent and are cheap. You can probably find plenty of other USB-C headphones, but just make sure you check reviews to see what's worth your money.
What Happened to Asus Phones?
Asus was one of the few companies churning out flagship smartphones with the headphone jack. Sadly, the company confirmed earlier this year that it is exiting the mobile business altogether—say goodbye to the Zenfone and ROG phone series. It'll continue supporting the phones as promised, but there are no new device launches for 2026. The company claims it's a “temporary” pause, so there's always a chance it could return to the market.
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