A Google Pixel 2 without a headphone jack wouldn't be the end of the world
Get all your tears and frustration out now because it's only a matter of time before your favorite smartphone follows Apple and drops the headphone jack.
Though it sure looks like Samsung's Galaxy S8 will keep the headphone jack, Google is reportedly looking to kill the classic headphone port for the Pixel 2, 9to5Google reports.
The Google fan blog says it's seen an "internal Google document" that claims the headphone jack's going away. However, the blog gives no reason as to why Google would make such a controversial move, which will almost certainly alienate customers.
Google's currently taking feedback on how to improve the Pixel from its user community. Krishna Kumar, the Pixel's product lead, asked last month: "What do you like about the design? What do you hate about it? What did we get right? What would you like to see us improve?"
With the Pixel 2 not expected until this fall, there's no better time than now to tell Kumar that you want a headphone jack. Maybe he'll listen and relay it to his team. The Pixel 2's features aren't set in stone until manufacturing starts!
If the Pixel 2 has no headphone jack, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
On the flip side, maybe removing the headphone jack will make way for something better. Apple's "fix" for the iPhone 7's lack of a headphone jack (besides "courage") was AirPods. Maybe Google's got some kind of sweet wireless AirPod rivals it's planning to show off when it announces the Pixel 2.
Considering Google took a dig at Apple in its Pixel ads by calling the jack "satisfyingly not new", it seems suspect the company would follow suit without a good reason for doing so.
But if the Pixel 2 has no headphone jack, it wouldn't be the end of the world. We'll mourn it at first, but we'll move on to USB-C headphones, wireless headphones, or get a dongle -- annoying as that is -- for existing 3.5mm headphones.
Plus, Lenovo's already killed the jack on its Moto Z phones. HTC's shown no remorse doing the same for its new flagship U-series. And LeEco's done it too.
An earlier report claims Google's working on multiple versions of the Pixel 2 (one of which might be a cheaper model) and that they'll be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon "83X" (most likely the new 835) chip. Google's also said to be focusing heavily on the cameras once again.
As with all of these rumor reports, it's still way too early to lock down any details on the Pixel 2, so take everything with a grain of salt.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
