Pixel 2: Google explains decision to ditch 3.5mm audio jack

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are just the latest smartphones to ditch headphone jacks, making for a rather odd turn of events compared to the original Pixel.

Back at the original Pixel launch, Google mocked Apple for ditching the audio jack. But now, it’s Google that’s defending itself over the decision.

Google community manager Orrin Hancock has used the forum to explain the decision to drop the jack, saying it “provides a better audio and digital experience”.

“The Pixel 2 still comes with a headphone jack [lol – ed] but we have moved to USB-C, a standard that is becoming commonplace in the best phones and laptops of today. Moving to the USB-C audio port with Pixel 2 allows us to provide a better audio and digital experience, as we move towards a bezel-less future,” Hancock explains.

The Google representative also lists several compatible USB-Type C headphones for the Pixel 2, such as Pixel Ear Buds.

“To give people a choice of audio options, we’ve included an adapter in the box which can be used with existing 3.5mm headphones,” Hancock continues.

“Other USB-C to 3.5mm adapters/splitters should work, but please be sure they are compatible with digital audio and support the proper audio standards.”

A Google employee has defended the decision to ditch the audio jack on the Pixel 2, but users aren’t buying it

Forumgoers have expressed a largely negative reaction to the post.

“Bezel-less future? You mean those huge bezels on the Pixel 2? I sure hope that is *not* ‘the future’ Google designers see,” said one user, adding that Google should’ve added two USB Type-C ports to the smartphones.

“Orrin, I do not envy you.  Being a ‘community manager’ after such a monumentally stupid f**k-up by some sort of idiot design committee has got to be a challenge,” read another user’s reaction.

“Playing with terminology (by referring to a 3.5mm jack as an aux jack and calling the USB connector an headphone jack is the sort of thing I would expect from a shyster lawyer, not a company that once prided itself on a ‘Don’t be Evil’ policy),” read a third user’s comment.

“The claim that losing the 3.5mm jack is a necessary step in moving towards a bezel-less phone is clearly false — did your engineers  not see the Samsung S8? That phone is as bezel-less as you can get and has both an ‘aux’ jack and a USB C port.”