Recently at their Shenzhen developer forum this month, Intel threw their support behind the idea that the standard 3.5mm headphone jack should be dropped in favor of connections like USB-C. The digital nature of USB would allow headsets to include more features and take responsibility for the audio processing that smartphones now do themselves.
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But LeEco isn’t the only company that thinks 3.5mm ports are on the way out.
It looks like the 3.5mm headphone jack is going to suffer an abrupt end over the next few years.
By turning the USB-C into a headphone jack, Intel would help device makers come up with slimmer devices while simultaneously improving the sound experience for the user. And the biggest advantage is that the form factor of the devices will be much smaller as there will be no need to spare room for the 3.5mm audio jack.
While Intel hasn’t provided a lot of details about their new specification, we do know that the Type-C connector already has two pins, named SBU1 and SBU2 that can transfer audio signals, when a device is put into audio adapter accessory mode.
In other words, Apple may once again lay the groundwork for a massive shift in the industry. Not only is Apple planning to ditch it entirely on its next iPhone but now Intel has weighed in on the conversation and it seems that the chip making giant would be keen to see the 100-year old connector disappear and be replaced by USB Type-C.
It also means that headphones themselves might be able to get new features thanks to software updates. Or you can just use Bluetooth headsets.
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Besides firmware upgrades, the biggest and most compelling reason to make the switch is to save space on devices such as smartphones.
