The 10 best phones that still have a headphone jack – CNET
The 10 best phones that still have a headphone jack
Samsung Galaxy S8
Price: $750, £690 or AU$1,200
Slim, beautiful and powerful, the Samsung Galaxy S8 nearly has it all — including an all-screen water-resistant design, wireless charging, microSD storage expansion and a fantastic (single) rear camera with optical image stabilization along with excellent low-light performance.
It single-handedly proves you don’t need to nix the headphone jack to make a gorgeous, futuristic phone.
Photo by: CNET
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Price: $960, £870 or AU$1,500
But if you truly want it all, you won’t find a phone with more features than Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8. Take the Galaxy S8’s tall-and-glassy design, stretch the screen to a gigantic 6.3 inches then add the trademark stylus pen, and you’ve got the best phone Samsung’s made yet. Battery life and performance are top-notch, too.
Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
Moto Z2 Play
Price: $500, £380 or AU$700
Don’t want to pay a premium for Samsung? Try the Moto Z2 Play instead — which brings brilliant battery life down to a more palatable price point without ditching the headphone jack. (If someone tells you removing the 3.5mm jack makes room for bigger batteries, tell them about this handset.)
Plus, like the regular Moto Z2, you can snap on modular accessories like a 360-degree camera or an even bigger battery. It also works with every major US carrier. Just know you won’t get quite the same performance from this mid-range phone.
Photo by: Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
OnePlus 5
Price: $480, £450 or AU$750
The OnePlus 5 doesn’t quite have the broad carrier compatibility of a Moto Z2 Play, as it only supports GSM frequencies. (In the US, that means AT&T and T-Mobile but no Verizon or Sprint.)
But if you’re on a compatible carrier, you’ll get one of the fastest phones we’ve ever tested, for hundreds of dollars less than the competition. Battery life is top-tier, too.
Photo by: James Martin/CNET
LG G6
Price: $500-$720, £650 or AU$1,008
But you should also definitely consider the LG G6, which we’ve seen for as low as $500 recently. With its expansive, bezel-light 5.7-inch display, water resistance and dual cameras (one boasts a super-wide angle lens for landscapes and close-quarters photography), it could give Samsung a run for the money.
Just know the battery life and performance aren’t quite as potent, and only the US and Canada versions have wireless charging.
Photo by: James Martin/CNET
Moto G5 Plus
Price: $230, £250 or AU$400
But you don’t need to spend anywhere near $500 to get a competent handset with a headphone jack. The Moto G5 Plus is our favorite budget phone, because it doesn’t feel like one at all — it’s got the same processor and wide carrier compatibility of the Moto Z2 Play, with decent battery life and a competent camera to boot. Read more in our full review.
Photo by: Patrick Holland/CNET
Moto E4
Price: $130, £130 or AU$250
And if you’re looking for a ridiculously cheap phone with a headphone jack, you can’t do better than the Moto E4. It does feel budget, mind you, but it’ll get the job done. If you’re willing to endure ads on your lockscreen, the Amazon version can be had for just $100 in the US.
Oh, and you can remove the battery! That’s an increasingly rare feature.
Photo by: Patrick Holland/CNET
Asus ZenFone 3 (5.5-inch)
Price: $249, roughly £170 or AU$350 converted
One last above-average phone to consider: the 5.5-inch Asus ZenFone 3. It doesn’t have the all-carrier-compatibility of the Moto G5 Plus — those phones have similar prices and processors inside — but you’ll get hours more battery life and solid build quality on GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile.
If you live outside the United States, it might be the better pick. If you can find it.
Photo by: Aloysius Low/CNET
Visit manufacturer site for details.
iPhone SE
Price: $350, £350 or AU$550
An iPhone on this list? Yep: The iPhone SE is an Apple handset that still has a headphone jack. Not only that, it’s the rare phone you can easily use with one hand, thanks to its delightfully small 4-inch form factor.
It’s definitely missing a lot of recent major iPhone additions like waterproofing, wireless charging and optical image stablization, but you still get your Touch ID fingerprint sensor, Apple Pay and the ability to run ARKit apps. It’s a unique phone and $350 is a pretty great price.
Photo by: Sarah Tew/CNET
LG V30
Price: $800, £800 or roughly $1,010 converted
We haven’t fully reviewed the LG V30 yet, so we’re hesitant to recommend it, but it could be the best phone for headphone jack lovers due to an integrated quad-DAC (digital-to-analog-converter) specifically designed to improve wired headphone audio quality.
Plus, it sounds like it has everything we loved in the LG G6, plus a refined design and a gorgeous AMOLED screen. We’ll let you know if it’s the one to buy… we just need more test time.
Photo by: Sarah Tew/CNET
Visit manufacturer site for details.
REVIEW
Meet the drop-resistant Moto Z2 Force
The Moto Z2 Force is really thin, with a fast processor and great battery life. It can survive drops without shattering.
Hot Products
The 10 best phones that still have a headphone jack
Samsung Galaxy S8
Price: $750, £690 or AU$1,200
Slim, beautiful and powerful, the Samsung Galaxy S8 nearly has it all — including an all-screen water-resistant design, wireless charging, microSD storage expansion and a fantastic (single) rear camera with optical image stabilization along with excellent low-light performance.
It single-handedly proves you don’t need to nix the headphone jack to make a gorgeous, futuristic phone.
Photo by: CNET
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Price: $960, £870 or AU$1,500
But if you truly want it all, you won’t find a phone with more features than Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8. Take the Galaxy S8’s tall-and-glassy design, stretch the screen to a gigantic 6.3 inches then add the trademark stylus pen, and you’ve got the best phone Samsung’s made yet. Battery life and performance are top-notch, too.
Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
Moto Z2 Play
Price: $500, £380 or AU$700
Don’t want to pay a premium for Samsung? Try the Moto Z2 Play instead — which brings brilliant battery life down to a more palatable price point without ditching the headphone jack. (If someone tells you removing the 3.5mm jack makes room for bigger batteries, tell them about this handset.)
Plus, like the regular Moto Z2, you can snap on modular accessories like a 360-degree camera or an even bigger battery. It also works with every major US carrier. Just know you won’t get quite the same performance from this mid-range phone.
Photo by: Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
OnePlus 5
Price: $480, £450 or AU$750
The OnePlus 5 doesn’t quite have the broad carrier compatibility of a Moto Z2 Play, as it only supports GSM frequencies. (In the US, that means AT&T and T-Mobile but no Verizon or Sprint.)
But if you’re on a compatible carrier, you’ll get one of the fastest phones we’ve ever tested, for hundreds of dollars less than the competition. Battery life is top-tier, too.
Photo by: James Martin/CNET
LG G6
Price: $500-$720, £650 or AU$1,008
But you should also definitely consider the LG G6, which we’ve seen for as low as $500 recently. With its expansive, bezel-light 5.7-inch display, water resistance and dual cameras (one boasts a super-wide angle lens for landscapes and close-quarters photography), it could give Samsung a run for the money.
Just know the battery life and performance aren’t quite as potent, and only the US and Canada versions have wireless charging.
Photo by: James Martin/CNET
Moto G5 Plus
Price: $230, £250 or AU$400
But you don’t need to spend anywhere near $500 to get a competent handset with a headphone jack. The Moto G5 Plus is our favorite budget phone, because it doesn’t feel like one at all — it’s got the same processor and wide carrier compatibility of the Moto Z2 Play, with decent battery life and a competent camera to boot. Read more in our full review.
Photo by: Patrick Holland/CNET
Moto E4
Price: $130, £130 or AU$250
And if you’re looking for a ridiculously cheap phone with a headphone jack, you can’t do better than the Moto E4. It does feel budget, mind you, but it’ll get the job done. If you’re willing to endure ads on your lockscreen, the Amazon version can be had for just $100 in the US.
Oh, and you can remove the battery! That’s an increasingly rare feature.
Photo by: Patrick Holland/CNET
Asus ZenFone 3 (5.5-inch)
Price: $249, roughly £170 or AU$350 converted
One last above-average phone to consider: the 5.5-inch Asus ZenFone 3. It doesn’t have the all-carrier-compatibility of the Moto G5 Plus — those phones have similar prices and processors inside — but you’ll get hours more battery life and solid build quality on GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile.
If you live outside the United States, it might be the better pick. If you can find it.
Photo by: Aloysius Low/CNET
Visit manufacturer site for details.
iPhone SE
Price: $350, £350 or AU$550
An iPhone on this list? Yep: The iPhone SE is an Apple handset that still has a headphone jack. Not only that, it’s the rare phone you can easily use with one hand, thanks to its delightfully small 4-inch form factor.
It’s definitely missing a lot of recent major iPhone additions like waterproofing, wireless charging and optical image stablization, but you still get your Touch ID fingerprint sensor, Apple Pay and the ability to run ARKit apps. It’s a unique phone and $350 is a pretty great price.
Photo by: Sarah Tew/CNET
LG V30
Price: $800, £800 or roughly $1,010 converted
We haven’t fully reviewed the LG V30 yet, so we’re hesitant to recommend it, but it could be the best phone for headphone jack lovers due to an integrated quad-DAC (digital-to-analog-converter) specifically designed to improve wired headphone audio quality.
Plus, it sounds like it has everything we loved in the LG G6, plus a refined design and a gorgeous AMOLED screen. We’ll let you know if it’s the one to buy… we just need more test time.
Photo by: Sarah Tew/CNET
Visit manufacturer site for details.
REVIEW
Meet the drop-resistant Moto Z2 Force
The Moto Z2 Force is really thin, with a fast processor and great battery life. It can survive drops without shattering.
Hot Products