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It’s been nearly 10 years since Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone. Yes, you tin get excellent wireless earbuds nowadays, but possibly you prefer plugging in oregon don't privation to complaint your headphones. The joyousness of the 3.5-mm headphone connector is that it’s universal. You tin usage immoderate brace of corded headphones—no request to interest astir connectivity blips, charging batteries, dongles, oregon misplaced earbuds.
There are times erstwhile Bluetooth is preferable, but having the enactment is nice. Unfortunately, each year, different large shaper decides to chopped the headphone jack from the diagnostic list. In 2025, that was Samsung, which nary longer offers the venerable larboard connected its Galaxy A-series phones. But don't suffer hope! You inactive person immoderate options, similar Motorola's Moto G Power 2026. As WIRED's smartphone reviewer, I spell done handsets large and small, inexpensive and expensive—these are the champion 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 each began erstwhile Apple removed the port connected the iPhone 7 successful 2016—yes, technically Oppo did it first, but it was Apple's determination that sparked an manufacture trend. Apple famously cited space-saving reasons to marque the telephone slimmer and acceptable a bigger battery, but it was besides to nudge on the burgeoning wireless headphone marketplace (guess who sits astatine the apical close now?). Since then, different companies followed swiftly, until the larboard was lone recovered connected fund and midrange phones.
Now, cheap phones are opening to suffer the port, apt due to the fact that you tin bargain decent wireless earbuds for as small arsenic $30 these days. The 3.5-mm larboard volition apt vanish wholly from each smartphones wrong the adjacent fewer years.
Does Plugging In Get You Better Audio Quality?
Yes, plugging successful a brace of wired headphones means the audio is not compressed, truthful it's capable to transmit much detail, offering a higher-fidelity audio experience. There's besides small to nary latency, meaning there's nary hold betwixt the euphony coming from your telephone to the audio playing done the headphones. Wired connections besides person the payment of zero connectivity issues, and you won't person to interest astir artillery life. Some wired earbuds besides person carnal buttons for euphony playback controls, which ever beats retired the finicky interaction controls connected astir earbuds.
On the different hand, today's Bluetooth codecs are importantly amended than those from adjacent 5 years ago. Most radical volition not perceive a immense quality successful audio prime erstwhile utilizing wired headphones versus wireless headphones.
You Can Use a USB-C Dongle
Not having a 3.5-mm larboard doesn't mean you can't usage wired headphones astatine each with a smartphone. You tin bargain a USB-C headphone dongle, which plugs into the USB-C larboard of your smartphone and adds a 3.5-mm port.
Apple USB-C to 3.5-mm Adapter for $9. This adapter from Apple volition bash the occupation for immoderate smartphone with a USB-C port—that means Android phones and the iPhone 15 and newer. I urge buying a fewer due to the fact that they’re casual to lose. If you person an iPhone with the Lightning larboard (iPhone 14 and older), you'll person to spell for a third-party dongle arsenic Apple officially discontinued its adapter.
Google USB-C Earbuds for $35: Alternatively, you tin usage USB-C earbuds. They're modular wired earbuds, but alternatively of a 3.5-mm connector astatine the end, it's a USB-C 1 that connects to your phone's charging port. I've utilized these earbuds from Google for a fewer years—they dependable decent and are cheap. You tin astir apt find plentifulness of different USB-C headphones, but conscionable marque definite you cheque reviews to spot what's worthy your money.
What Happened to Asus Phones?
Asus was 1 of the fewer companies churning retired flagship smartphones with the headphone jack. Sadly, the institution confirmed earlier this year that it is exiting the mobile concern altogether—say goodbye to the Zenfone and ROG telephone series. It'll proceed supporting the phones arsenic promised, but determination are nary caller instrumentality launches for 2026. The institution claims it's a “temporary” pause, truthful there's ever a accidental it could instrumentality to the market.
Best Overall
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola
Moto G Stylus 2025
If a headphone jack is simply a must-have connected your adjacent phone, Motorola's Moto G Stylus 5G 2025 strikes the champion equilibrium of performance, aesthetics, features, and price. Not lone does it person the jack, but it besides stores a stylus inside, an embarrassment for immoderate different institution that cited space-saving reasons to nix the port. The gorgeous bluish vegan leather decorativeness connected the backmost genuinely makes this telephone basal out, putting the Blue Man Group to shame. The performance, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, is bully and smooth, and you get a 120-Hz 6.7-inch OLED surface to boot. It's slim, contempt the 5,000-mAh battery, which lasts a afloat time and past immoderate with mean use. And the 50-megapixel main camera is reliable time oregon nighttime arsenic agelong arsenic you support inactive erstwhile tapping the shutter button.
Motorola goes supra and beyond, stuffing this telephone with doubly the magnitude of emblematic retention astatine 256 GB; there's besides a microSD paper slot to grow space, wireless charging, and an IP68 rating, truthful it volition past an accidental driblet successful the pool. For the archetypal time, Motorola's besides offering two Android OS upgrades connected its Moto G phones, meaning you tin clasp onto it a small longer earlier it won't get caller features. (You'll inactive get 3 years of information updates.) Just retrieve that mobile phones are heavy discounted during large merchantability events, truthful I urge waiting for a sale.
Motorola has already started launching its 2026 slate of Moto G devices, but the Moto G Stylus 2026 seems to beryllium past connected the list. Expect its accomplishment successful the adjacent period oregon two, which means you whitethorn privation to hold for the latest and greatest.
Runner-Up
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola
Moto G Power 2026
Motorola whitethorn person chopped wireless charging from the 2026 iteration of the Moto G Power, but acknowledgment to immoderate under-the-hood optimization, it performs better than its predecessor. That's a good trade-off, though it's unusual considering the 2 phones are powered by the precise aforesaid MediaTek Dimensity 6300 spot with 8 GB of RAM. Yes, you'll inactive announcement immoderate slowness present and there, but it's not a stuttery experience. The different notable hardware upgrades are an improved selfie camera and a somewhat larger 5,200-mAh artillery capacity.
Battery beingness is the adjacent champion happening astir this phone, easy lasting 2 days with mean use. The 6.8-inch LCD surface is agleam and crisp enough, and the telephone is IP68/69-rated to past dips successful the excavation and inclement weather. Don't expect overmuch from the camera system. If you person dependable hands, you tin seizure passable photos from the 50-MP superior shooter, though it struggles successful debased airy and high-contrast scenes. Introduce immoderate benignant of handshake, and you'll get a blurry photo.
If you tin woody with those flaws—including the constricted bundle argumentation of 2 Android OS upgrades and 3 years of information updates—the Moto G Power 2026 inactive checks disconnected a batch of boxes for its sub-$300 price. It has NFC for contactless payments, a microSD paper slot to grow connected 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 amazingly bully telephone for $250, the spotlight diagnostic of the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G (7/10, WIRED Recommends) revolves astir its matte, paper-like display. While TCL says it cuts down bluish airy from entering your eyes (supposedly to trim eyestrain and amended slumber quality), there's nary substantive grounds that these blockers bash much. Instead, you should bargain this telephone if you deliberation you'll bask the anti-reflective screen, which feels astir similar an e-reader. There's adjacent a power connected the broadside of the instrumentality that lets you participate antithetic modes, similar Ink Paper Mode, which turns the surface achromatic and white, makes the colour somesthesia warmer, and offers a Kindle-like speechmaking experience.
Performance is coagulated for the money, and you get further perks similar a microSD paper slot, NFC for contactless payments, and wireless charging. It works connected each large US carrier, too. It's a shame TCL has a lackluster bundle update policy—it won't spot immoderate caller Android versions aft Android 16.
An Uber Budget Phone
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola
Moto G Play 5G 2026
Want to walk arsenic small arsenic possible? You tin astir apt marque bash with the Moto G Play 2026, which features 5G connectivity for the archetypal time. Performance is conscionable OK—apps tin instrumentality a bushed to load, and everything mostly feels sluggish. Folks I spoke with connected the telephone said my audio prime didn't dependable large either. You bash get a decently crisp and agleam screen, two-day artillery life, a microSD paper slot to grow connected the 64 GB of space, and a headphone jack. I spent a week utilizing it, and extracurricular of having to beryllium diligent with its performance, it was serviceable.
If your needs are minimal, the Moto G Play 2026 volition bash the job, though you whitethorn privation to spell for the astir identical Moto G 2026, which has the aforesaid specs but with upgraded cameras and 128 GB of storage. That oregon drawback the aforementioned Moto G Power 2026 erstwhile it inevitably goes connected merchantability aboriginal this year.
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A Distraction-Free Phone
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
If you privation to jack in, but besides unplug from the world, see the Minimal Phone (6/10, WIRED Review). This Android handset has a tiny, 4.3-inch e-paper surface and a carnal keyboard. It allows you to entree each of your favourite apps, but due to the fact that the surface perpetually ghosts and isn't suited for video playback, you'll find yourself hardly utilizing societal media (the cameras are besides beauteous bad). That's benignant of the point, adjacent if it means suffering done a subpar acquisition successful immoderate apps much than others—the trade-off is relying connected your telephone less. You tin inactive entree modern-day amenities, similar Uber, authenticators, and banking apps.
Minimal promises to enactment the telephone with updates for 5 years, though it's a caller company, truthful there's ever the hazard that it could spell nether and halt support. The telephone has astir of the perks you'd want, from the quality to marque contactless payments via NFC to wireless charging. Just cognize that it's designed to beryllium utilized less than a mean smartphone—except if you privation to jack successful and jam retired to Radiohead each day.
A Gaming Phone
Asus whitethorn person exited the smartphone market, but Nubia is present to capable the void with its Redmagic gaming phones. The existent iteration is the Redmagic 11 Pro—this is 1 of the lone smartphones connected the marketplace that has a headphone jack and is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship processor. That means you get immoderate of the champion show around! Other perks see a ample 6.85-inch AMOLED screen, a 144-Hz refresh rate, and a monolithic 7,500-mAh battery. It's designed to play top-tier mobile games, and it accomplishes that task easily.
The cameras instrumentality a backmost seat, truthful conscionable support that successful mind, and the bundle acquisition is lackluster, though the institution astatine slightest is present offering 5 years of updates. Still, if you desperately privation a dedicated headphone jack connected your smartphone and don't privation to compromise connected performance, the Redmagic 11 Pro is 1 of your lone options.
You bash request to beryllium wary of bearer compatibility—the institution lists supported US carriers connected the merchandise page, including AT&T, Google Fi, and T-Mobile. Some bands you'd find connected different US phones are missing, truthful you whitethorn not person the strongest cellular acquisition adjacent connected immoderate supported networks. There's a 15-day instrumentality argumentation if you privation to springiness it a changeable and trial if it'll enactment connected your web without problems.
A USB-C and 3.5-mm Adapter
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Belkin
Rockstar 3.5mm Audio + USB-C Charge Adapter
Dongle is simply a horrible word, but utilizing 1 is acold cheaper than buying a caller telephone outright. While a basal USB-C to 3.5-mm adapter volition bash the job, I similar this Belkin adapter, which adds a USB-C larboard adjacent to the headphone jack, allowing you to recharge the telephone portion playing tunes. The dongle itself is plasticky, truthful you'll privation to beryllium cautious erstwhile handling it, but the USB-C connector is agelong capable that there's capable clearance for the adapter from your pocket. The charger supports up to 60 watts, which is plentifulness for phones, tablets, and adjacent astir laptops. Belkin offers a 2-year warranty.
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