Samsung is following rival Apple's steps and will be ditching the headphone jack as well. That is what recent rumors are saying.
The rumor started with SamMobile which claims that it "can exclusively confirm that Samsung is going to remove the standard 3.5mm headphone jack from the Galaxy S8". This one precedes other rumors regarding Samsung's next flagship phone which have been circling around for quite some time now.
The main reason seen behind the removal of the headphone jack is to allow Samsung to create a thinner smartphone. It is also possible that the space made available by the absence of the audio jack will be used for a bigger battery.
The battery is a touchy subject for the Korean tech giant. The battery issues with the Galaxy Note 7 which led its recall and halt in production is still fresh in everyone's minds. The reason behind the exploding Note 7s has finally been determined to be due to the lack of space for the battery to expand when it heats up during charging.
Without the audio jack, there is ample space for the battery to breathe and Samsung may finally get to move on from the fiasco. But there are still issues regarding the lack of a headphone jack. For many, it means there will be a need to buy a USB Type-C port-enabled headphone or a Bluetooth headphone just to listen to audio.
When Apple got rid of the headphone jack, not a few voiced their disappointment. Many scratched their heads in bewilderment while some were simply appalled at the thought that they couldn't use their existing headphones with the gadget.
But Apple may be showing that sly little smirk of theirs after reports of Samsung following suit and ditching the headphone jack have surfaced. It seems like Apple's courage to start another trend is paying dividends.
CNET estimates the release of the Galaxy S8 to be sometime in Feb. next year during the Mobile World Congress.
