Current affairs: OnePlus 6T to Come Without 3.5mm Headphone Jack, Company Founder Explains the Reason for Ditching It

Thursday, October 4, 2018

OnePlus 6T to Come Without 3.5mm Headphone Jack, Company Founder Explains the Reason for Ditching It

There is now no denying the sad fact that the upcoming and highly anticipated smartphone OnePlus 6T will arrive sans the 3.5mm headphone jack. With the company senior management confirming it time and again, we have to learn to live with the shift in the winds, as more and more handsets ditch the much-loved audio jack. Recently, speaking to a media outlet, OnePlus Founder and CEO Liu Zuohu explained the reason why this controversial move was inevitable.

OnePlus 6T Sans Headphone Jack

According to OnePlus CEO Liu Zuohu, the main reason behind ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack with the OnePlus 6T was to make room for the handset’s new in-display fingerprint sensor. He explained that recent research showed the majority of smartphone users to have moved on from the wired headsets, exploring wireless audio gear instead. Whether the purpose is to enjoy entertainment such and music and movies, or to make calls and video chats, users were found to have increasingly been shifting towards wireless headsets. About 59 percent of smartphone users, he said, have already moved to wireless headphones and many more were expected to do so in the near future.

Also Read: OnePlus 6 Review: The Best OnePlus Phone Yet

In the last two years, he explained quoting analyst firm NPD, wireless headsets have been selling more than wired ones, so the shift towards them was inevitable and already under process. Also, the company is selling Type-C wired headsets that you can connect to the phone directly via the Type-C USB port, with the only disadvantage being that you cannot charge your phone while it is connected to the headset.

Touching upon wireless charging in the same interview, Liu Zuohu explained that the OnePlus 6T shall not feature wireless charging because wireless charging is still slow and adds unnecessary thickness to the body of the handset.

OnePlus 6T: Specifications

Yesterday, on October 02 we reported that the OnePlus 6T will be launched in the same colours as the OnePlus 6 when it was first launched in; that is: Midnight Black and Mirror Black colours, which is not surprising since both of these are rather popular. The Mirror Black colour gives the handset a mirror-finish while the other one provides a matte look. So far as the specifications go, we know well enough by now that the OnePlus 6T will sport a waterdrop notch, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset.

The display will be 6.4 inches and AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, with either a 19:9 or a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The OnePlus 6 has a notch but the 6T will be the first OnePlus phone with a waterdrop notch, a new trend that has taken Chinese smartphones by storm, and has made room for a lot of extra screen space for the benefit of the user. While the RAM bit is not confirmed, we are told that the handset can launch in two RAM options, 6GB and 8GB.

OnePlus 6T: Launch Date, Price in India

The launch date of the OnePlus 6T, we had reported earlier, is set to be October 17. A OnePlus invite leaked by a Chinese microblogging site Weibo user had confirmed this, but the brand has remained shy of speaking about it. When it actually launches, we expect the handset to cost less than Rs. 40,000 but obviously more than the price of the OnePlus 6, i.e. Rs 34,999.

Also Read: Sony Xperia XZ3 Now Goes on Preorders in Netherlands Bundled With Free Sony Headphones

Guess away, if you would, and let us know what the exact price according to you may be. Feel free to comment below.