WillPS wrote: ↑Tue 20 Feb, 2024 00.15
Another potential solution for that case is a wireless charging mat (I have one as a backup in case my USB port packs up).
For better or worse, the direction of travel on this is clear. Seems a shame to not get the device you want because of a feature you can workaround quite cheaply/easily.
TBF the cable suggested by Mr Asko looks pretty good. As would your suggestion of wireless charging which I've never really tried before. Don't trust myself with wireless buds as I manage to lose wired headphones so have always liked the idea of being able to pick up some lower range but still pretty decent Sennheiser earphones for 20 notes and accept if I lose them within a year it's been no huge loss. Doesn't help with any non earphone audio situation either.
Direction of travel as regards 3.5mm jacks on phones is obviously clear, just find it a bit weird. 20 years ago many handsets supported some sort of headset but they were almost always some proprietary thing which often wasn't very good in the first place and would be difficult or expensive to replace if it broke or was lost. Adding a standard 3.5mm jack to a phone was actually a sign of progress and showed phones developing to the point of just having a standard audio connection greatly enhancing their utility to use for audio purposes.
If they were to get phased out, you would think it would be something cost reduced out of budget devices first and retained on the flagships for longer, so that if it is being made a niche feature then the niche pays more for it.
Unless anyone actually buys Apple's original 'courage' claim when they started this trend that the small amount of internal space released by deleting the connector from the iPhone 7 somehow translates into significant other features that otherwise couldn't exist, how on earth have we ended up in a situation where it gets deleted from flagships first which pushes those who want it into chasing ever more budget devices...then run the risk that those users might decide they really don't need a flagship handset anymore and even when the jack goes from the budget devices too they still won't go back to buying top of the range?
I feel that is going to happen to me as the more I think about it I'm drawing the conclusion that an A25 will do me just fine whereas I had always previously thought I couldn't live without an S series handset (extending to the point of buying the S10 in the first place when it had already been replaced twice at the time of purchase).