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12 hours ago
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It’s been nearly 10 years since Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone. Yes, you can get excellent wireless earbuds nowadays, but maybe you prefer plugging in or don't want to charge your headphones. The joy of the 3.5-mm headphone connector is that it’s universal. You can use any pair of corded headphones—no need to worry about connectivity blips, charging batteries, dongles, or misplaced earbuds.
There are times when Bluetooth is preferable, but having the option is nice. Unfortunately, every year, another major manufacturer decides to cut the headphone jack from the feature list. In 2025, that was Samsung, which no longer offers the venerable port on its Galaxy A-series phones. But don't lose hope! You still have some options, like Motorola's Moto G Power 2026. As WIRED's smartphone reviewer, I go through handsets big and small, cheap and expensive—these are the best phones with the headphone jack.
Read our Best Android Phones, Best Samsung Phones, Best Motorola Phones, Best Pixel Phones, Best iPhones, and Best Cheap Phones guides for more.
Updated February 2026: We've added the Moto G Power 2026 and Nubia Redmagic 11 Pro.
What Happened to the Headphone Jack?
It all began when Apple removed the port on the iPhone 7 in 2016—yes, technically Oppo did it first, but it was Apple's decision that sparked an industry trend. Apple famously cited space-saving reasons to make the phone slimmer and fit a bigger battery, but it was also to nudge along the burgeoning wireless headphone market (guess who sits at the top right now?). Since then, other companies followed swiftly, until the port was only found on budget and midrange phones.
Now, cheap phones are beginning to lose the port, likely because you can buy decent wireless earbuds for as little as $30 these days. The 3.5-mm port will likely disappear entirely from all smartphones within the next few years.
Does Plugging In Get You Better Audio Quality?
Yes, plugging in a pair of wired headphones means the audio is not compressed, so it's able to transmit more detail, offering a higher-fidelity audio experience. There's also little to no latency, meaning there's no delay between the music coming from your phone to the audio playing through the headphones. Wired connections also have the benefit of zero connectivity issues, and you won't have to worry about battery life. Some wired earbuds also have physical buttons for music playback controls, which always beats out the finicky touch controls on most earbuds.
On the other hand, today's Bluetooth codecs are significantly better than those from even 5 years ago. Most people will not hear a huge difference in audio quality when using wired headphones versus wireless headphones.
You Can Use a USB-C Dongle
Not having a 3.5-mm port doesn't mean you can't use wired headphones at all with a smartphone. You can buy a USB-C headphone dongle, which plugs into the USB-C port of your smartphone and adds a 3.5-mm port.
Apple USB-C to 3.5-mm Adapter for $9. This adapter from Apple will do the job for any smartphone with a USB-C port—that means Android phones and the iPhone 15 and newer. I recommend buying a few because they’re easy to lose. If you have an iPhone with the Lightning port (iPhone 14 and older), you'll have to go for a third-party dongle as Apple officially discontinued its adapter.
Google USB-C Earbuds for $35: Alternatively, you can use USB-C earbuds. They're standard wired earbuds, but instead of a 3.5-mm connector at the end, it's a USB-C one that connects to your phone's charging port. I've used these earbuds from Google for a few years—they sound decent and are cheap. You can probably find plenty of other USB-C headphones, but just make sure you check reviews to see what's worth your money.
What Happened to Asus Phones?
Asus was one of the few companies churning out flagship smartphones with the headphone jack. Sadly, the company confirmed earlier this year that it is exiting the mobile business altogether—say goodbye to the Zenfone and ROG phone series. It'll continue supporting the phones as promised, but there are no new device launches for 2026. The company claims it's a “temporary” pause, so there's always a chance it could return to the market.
Best Overall
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola
Moto G Stylus 2025
If a headphone jack is a must-have on your next phone, Motorola's Moto G Stylus 5G 2025 strikes the best balance of performance, aesthetics, features, and price. Not only does it have the jack, but it also stores a stylus inside, an embarrassment for any other company that cited space-saving reasons to nix the port. The gorgeous blue vegan leather finish on the back truly makes this phone stand out, putting the Blue Man Group to shame. The performance, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, is nice and smooth, and you get a 120-Hz 6.7-inch OLED screen to boot. It's slim, despite the 5,000-mAh battery, which lasts a full day and then some with average use. And the 50-megapixel main camera is reliable day or night as long as you keep still when tapping the shutter button.
Motorola goes above and beyond, stuffing this phone with twice the amount of typical storage at 256 GB; there's also a microSD card slot to expand space, wireless charging, and an IP68 rating, so it will survive an accidental drop in the pool. For the first time, Motorola's also offering two Android OS upgrades on its Moto G phones, meaning you can hold onto it a little longer before it won't get new features. (You'll still get 3 years of security updates.) Just remember that mobile phones are heavily discounted during big sale events, so I recommend waiting for a sale.
Motorola has already started launching its 2026 slate of Moto G devices, but the Moto G Stylus 2026 seems to be last on the list. Expect its arrival in the next month or two, which means you may want to wait for the latest and greatest.
Runner-Up
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola
Moto G Power 2026
Motorola may have cut wireless charging from the 2026 iteration of the Moto G Power, but thanks to some under-the-hood optimization, it performs better than its predecessor. That's a fine trade-off, though it's odd considering the two phones are powered by the very same MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chip with 8 GB of RAM. Yes, you'll still notice some slowness here and there, but it's not a stuttery experience. The other notable hardware upgrades are an improved selfie camera and a slightly larger 5,200-mAh battery capacity.
Battery life is the next best thing about this phone, easily lasting two days with average use. The 6.8-inch LCD screen is bright and sharp enough, and the phone is IP68/69-rated to survive dips in the pool and inclement weather. Don't expect much from the camera system. If you have steady hands, you can capture passable photos from the 50-MP primary shooter, though it struggles in low light and high-contrast scenes. Introduce any kind of handshake, and you'll get a blurry photo.
If you can deal with those flaws—including the limited software policy of two Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates—the Moto G Power 2026 still checks off a lot of boxes for its sub-$300 price. It has NFC for contactless payments, a microSD card slot to expand on the 128 GB of storage, and, naturally, the coveted headphone jack.
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A Phone With a Matte Screen
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A surprisingly good phone for $250, the spotlight feature of the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G (7/10, WIRED Recommends) revolves around its matte, paper-like display. While TCL says it cuts down blue light from entering your eyes (supposedly to reduce eyestrain and improve sleep quality), there's no substantive evidence that these blockers do much. Instead, you should buy this phone if you think you'll enjoy the anti-reflective screen, which feels almost like an e-reader. There's even a switch on the side of the device that lets you enter different modes, like Ink Paper Mode, which turns the screen black and white, makes the color temperature warmer, and offers a Kindle-like reading experience.
Performance is solid for the money, and you get additional perks like a microSD card slot, NFC for contactless payments, and wireless charging. It works on every major US carrier, too. It's a shame TCL has a lackluster software update policy—it won't see any new Android versions after Android 16.
An Uber Budget Phone
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola
Moto G Play 5G 2026
Want to spend as little as possible? You can probably make do with the Moto G Play 2026, which features 5G connectivity for the first time. Performance is just OK—apps can take a beat to load, and everything generally feels sluggish. Folks I spoke with on the phone said my audio quality didn't sound great either. You do get a decently sharp and bright screen, two-day battery life, a microSD card slot to expand on the 64 GB of space, and a headphone jack. I spent a week using it, and outside of having to be patient with its performance, it was serviceable.
If your needs are minimal, the Moto G Play 2026 will do the job, though you may want to go for the nearly identical Moto G 2026, which has the same specs but with upgraded cameras and 128 GB of storage. That or catch the aforementioned Moto G Power 2026 when it inevitably goes on sale later this year.
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A Distraction-Free Phone
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
If you want to jack in, but also unplug from the world, consider the Minimal Phone (6/10, WIRED Review). This Android handset has a tiny, 4.3-inch e-paper screen and a physical keyboard. It allows you to access all of your favorite apps, but because the screen constantly ghosts and isn't suited for video playback, you'll find yourself barely using social media (the cameras are also pretty bad). That's kind of the point, even if it means suffering through a subpar experience in some apps more than others—the trade-off is relying on your phone less. You can still access modern-day amenities, like Uber, authenticators, and banking apps.
Minimal promises to support the phone with updates for 5 years, though it's a new company, so there's always the risk that it could go under and halt support. The phone has most of the perks you'd want, from the ability to make contactless payments via NFC to wireless charging. Just know that it's designed to be used less than a normal smartphone—except if you want to jack in and jam out to Radiohead all day.
A Gaming Phone
Asus may have exited the smartphone market, but Nubia is here to fill the void with its Redmagic gaming phones. The current iteration is the Redmagic 11 Pro—this is one of the only smartphones on the market that has a headphone jack and is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship processor. That means you get some of the best performance around! Other perks include a large 6.85-inch AMOLED screen, a 144-Hz refresh rate, and a massive 7,500-mAh battery. It's designed to play top-tier mobile games, and it accomplishes that task easily.
The cameras take a back seat, so just keep that in mind, and the software experience is lackluster, though the company at least is now offering five years of updates. Still, if you desperately want a dedicated headphone jack on your smartphone and don't want to compromise on performance, the Redmagic 11 Pro is one of your only options.
You do need to be wary of carrier compatibility—the company lists supported US carriers on the product page, including AT&T, Google Fi, and T-Mobile. Some bands you'd find on other US phones are missing, so you may not have the strongest cellular experience even on some supported networks. There's a 15-day return policy if you want to give it a shot and test if it'll work on your network without problems.
A USB-C and 3.5-mm Adapter
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Belkin
Rockstar 3.5mm Audio + USB-C Charge Adapter
Dongle is a horrible word, but using one is far cheaper than buying a new phone outright. While a basic USB-C to 3.5-mm adapter will do the job, I prefer this Belkin adapter, which adds a USB-C port next to the headphone jack, allowing you to recharge the phone while playing tunes. The dongle itself is plasticky, so you'll want to be careful when handling it, but the USB-C connector is long enough that there's enough clearance for the adapter from your pocket. The charger supports up to 60 watts, which is plenty for phones, tablets, and even most laptops. Belkin offers a 2-year warranty.
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