Galaxy A33 5G leak confirms Samsung is killing the headphone jack for good
The iPhone X that launched way back in 2017 may be credited and blamed for killing the venerable 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone trend did force audio technology developers and equipment makers to step up their game and improve the state of Bluetooth headphones to compete with higher-quality wired accessories. There are dozens if not hundreds of wireless earphones today, covering a wide range of prices, quality, and sizes, so much so that Samsung may have finally decided it's high time to retire the headphone jack once and for all, at least from its Galaxy A series.
Venerable Legacy
To be clear, it's only the smartphone industry that's killing the headphone jack. Almost everything else, including many "smart" speakers, still supports the old port. They really don't have much choice if they want to support older audio equipment, especially ones that don't have Bluetooth or even USB equivalents.
The case for smartphones is definitely different since portability and convenience are more highly prized than compatibility with old, bulky equipment. In fact, some might even prefer mobility over quality, especially if the price is right. Fortunately, Bluetooth headphones, earphones, and even earbuds have caught up with their wired predecessors in quality and features, but they still have some stumbling blocks for mass adoption, especially in some markets.
Cost-cutting Diet
There have been a few reasons put forward to justify the retirement of the headphone jack. One of the biggest is to shave a few millimeters off the phone's thickness as well as make more room for the components inside, usually a bigger battery. The other is to cut down on the build cost of the phone, which translates to some small reduction in the phone's price tag.
That reasoning is a bit ironic when you consider that users of that phone will need to buy a new pair of wireless headphones. That is especially problematic for certain markets that still show some resistance to buying new accessories when their old ones still work perfectly fine. Those are also the markets where the Galaxy A33 5G would be launched, which makes the headphone jack's removal even more poignant.
That, however, seems to be the case based on renders from 91mobiles and @OnLeaks. The phone has a striking resemblance to the Galaxy A53 5G that was also leaked last week, and, unsurprisingly, both lack the 3.5mm port. If this is the case, we can expect that the Galaxy A73 5G will also follow suit.
Samsung's Graveyard
These two wouldn't be the first Galaxy A series phones to ditch the headphone jack, but they do make a pattern. Even the entry-level Galaxy M might not be unaffected. It wouldn't be surprising if Samsung removed all traces of the headphone jack from most of its phones on all tiers by next year.
It might not stop there, either. There are already signs that Samsung is pushing through with its old plans to phase out the microSD card slot, and the Galaxy S21 FE might start the slow march down the lower ranges. There is no indication yet whether the Galaxy A53 5G or the Galaxy A33 5G even have microSD expansion slots, but it would be a double blow to consumers looking for a Samsung-branded phone that still supported their wired earphones and memory cards.