Many smartphone manufacturers will soon adopt the same policy as Apple, namely abandoning the classic 3.5mm jack to equip their products with USB Type-C. Thus, the apple brand will no longer be the only company to use this connection.
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus, the new smartphones from Apple, do not have a traditional jack but integrate the Lightning port. New specifications called USB Audio Device Class 3.0 redefine the way sound should pass through the connector, news announced a few months ago by the USB Implementers Forum, the group responsible for the specifications of USB connectors.
If Apple was the first firm to position itself on the USB Type-C connector, its competitors, who use the Android operating system for their products, will follow suit in the very near future. The aim is, among other things, to reduce the number of connectors and free up space, which will potentially make it possible to create even thinner smartphones than those existing today. In addition, it will be easier to design smartphones resistant to water, according to the PC World site.
USB Type-C therefore becomes, beyond the exchange of data, an audio port. It is then, on paper, a revolution in the world of smartphones, but not only. Indeed, this connection should be used in the composition of audio headsets, but also in that of virtual reality headsets.
On the iPhone 7, malfunctions were nevertheless noted. Indeed, plugging in headphones poses some problems in order to charge the smartphone. Before crying ‘revolutionary’, we will have to wait to see if the manufacturers of mobile terminals and accessories will follow the trend, in order to turn it into a real success. This could also be the case for the future Samsung Galaxy S8. To be continued !
Sources: Lemon Press – Next INpact