A phone without a headphone jack: which headphones to use
Why the jack disappeared
The 3.5 mm headphone jack has disappeared from many phones in recent years. iPhones have not had one since the iPhone 7, and many Android phones followed. Makers gained room inside for the battery and better water resistance.
For anyone with wired headphones, that raised a question: what do I use now? There are three answers: Bluetooth earbuds, headphones that plug into the charging port, or an adapter for your old headphones.
Bluetooth earbuds
The simplest solution is Bluetooth earbuds: they need no socket at all and work with any phone. True wireless buds, with no wire at all, are the most common; you pair them once and then they connect by themselves each time you take them out of the case. The Buds4, for example, connect by themselves when you open the case.
The big advantage: no cable snagging on things, and the phone's port stays free for charging.
USB-C headphones
The second option is wired headphones that plug into the phone's USB-C port. They have their own digital-to-analogue converter, so they sound good and need no battery. The downside: they occupy the port, so you cannot charge the phone while listening without a two-port adapter.
Check before buying that the phone sends audio over USB-C: almost all recent phones do.
An adapter for old headphones
If you have good headphones with a 3.5 mm plug, a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter makes them work again. Choose an adapter with a built-in converter; those without one work only with some phones. For Lightning iPhones there is a Lightning to 3.5 mm adapter; the iPhone 15 and newer have USB-C.
The adapter is small and easily lost, so many people keep it attached to the headphone cable.
Over-ear headphones with both options
Some over-ear headphones have both Bluetooth and a cable: the Pods Ultra have a 3.5 mm cable for flights, the TV or a laptop with a socket, and Bluetooth for the phone. That way one pair covers everything.
With a phone without a jack, the 3.5 mm cable connects through an adapter, but Bluetooth is usually simpler.
For games and video
Over a cable, sound has no delay; over Bluetooth, a small one. For films, apps compensate, but in games you can feel it. Bluetooth earbuds with a gaming mode reduce the delay: the GTA02 have a gaming mode with a latency of about 60 ms.
If you play competitively and every millisecond counts, USB-C headphones are the safest option on a phone without a jack.
What to choose
For daily use, the commute, sport and calls: true wireless Bluetooth earbuds. For competitive gaming: USB-C headphones or Bluetooth buds with a gaming mode. For old headphones you do not want to throw away: an adapter with a converter. For travel and the TV: over-ear headphones with Bluetooth and a cable.
All TESNA earbuds connect over Bluetooth to any phone, iPhone or Android, with or without a jack.
Looking after the phone's port
When the USB-C port is used for both charging and headphones, it wears faster: the plug goes in and out many times a day. Insert and remove the cable straight, not at an angle, and do not let the phone hang from it. Pocket dust collects in the port and can make the contact intermittent; clean it now and then with a soft, dry brush, with the phone switched off.
With Bluetooth earbuds, the port is used only for charging, so it wears less. For anyone who changes phones rarely, that is one more reason to choose wireless earbuds. And if you carry the phone in a pocket during sport, there is no cable to catch on your hands or the gym machines.
Every model is in the shop, under true wireless earbuds.