No manufacturer will admit it on the record, but the reason so many more expensive phones no longer have a 3.5mm jack is to boost the market for wireless Bluetooth audio products. Why buy Bluetooth earbuds when you can simply plug in your old wired earbuds?
It has been one of the most attractive markets for producers to enter since 2016. Bluetooth earbuds are a relatively simple product, based on a standard technology that anyone can use, with standard parts that are easy to purchase. It is a market with a lot of margin; you can make and sell Bluetooth earbuds for 10 euros, but also for hundreds of euros. Moreover, the market was experiencing phenomenal growth and would not become saturated any time soon. Due to the small batteries that cannot be replaced, users throw away their earplugs after a few years and buy new ones. In addition, a second-hand market for in-ear audio with a limited battery life is hardly a threat.
We knew that; In the years after 2016, the 3.5mm jack slowly disappeared from almost all expensive phones. The situation has now stabilized; we wrote about that last week. The first gold rush is also over on the market for Bluetooth earphones. So what’s the status now?
