Google avoids the wrath of wired headphone lovers, cuts Pixel 2 dongle price

Google took a page out of Apple's book and killed the headphone jack with its new Pixel 2 phones — which means that if you want to enjoy some music on a set of old school headphones with a 3.5 mm connection, you're gonna need a dongle.

When the first Pixel USB-C to 3.5 mm jack dongle was announced, there was a big problem: Google planned to sell the accessory for $20. That's twice the cost of Apple's headphone jack workaround, which is available for $9. Unsurprisingly, people online were not pleased.

Here's the Google USB-C Digital to 3.5 mm headphone adapter dongle. Pretty standard dongle, there — certainly not worth $20. Thankfully, Google relented and dropped the price to Apple's level, $9, which was spotted by 9to5Google.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Sure, every brand new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will have a dongle included in the box when the phones are released on Oct. 19, but those little buggers get lost easily. I generally keep mine attached to a pair of over the ear headphones to keep it from being misplaced — but if you're switching between multiple sets, you'll probably want at least two dongles, just in case.

Google's move to cut the dongle's cost preemptively shows that it has learned by following in Apple's footsteps. Last year, one of the first-gen Pixel's big marketing points was that it had a headphone jack, which the iPhone 7 famously lacked — so when the second iteration rolled around without one, the best move would probably be to keep the switch under the radar with comparably priced accessories.

You'll now be able to stock up on extra dongles for less than $10, and Apple and Google are on equal footing. But seriously, if the iPhone 7 wasn't reason enough to switch to wireless headphones, this should be your last straw.