In the past few years, a lot of smartphone makers have ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack on flagships citing engineering difficulties. Yet, there are a few names that continue to stay loyal to the 3.5mm headphone jack, and even go as far as packing a high-end DAC to let users enjoy hi-res music.
Samsung Galaxy S10 series, despite its slim form factor, had a 3.5mm headphone jack. But does its successor have one? The answer is NO. The Galaxy S20 does not have a headphone jack.
Samsung gave a sign of things to come back in 2019, when it finally relented and dropped the 3.5mm headphone jack from the Galaxy Note 10. It marked the beginning of the end for the trusty headphone jack on Samsung’s high-end phones. And despite many still holding a hope that the Galaxy S20 might retain the headphone jack, Samsung decided otherwise.
Samsung bundles AKG-tuned USB Type-C wired earphones inside the retail package of Galaxy S20. But what if you don’t want a wired solution? Well, it obviously means you will have to fork out some more money to choose from the sea of wireless options available out there. If you seek to do so, here are our top picks for the best Bluetooth earphones for the Galaxy S20:
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are an improved version of the Galaxy Buds that came out last year. The AKG-tuned Galaxy Buds+ bring a dramatic improvement in battery life, batter audio output courtesy of two-way dynamic speakers, a triple microphone system, and much more. Even though they lack active noise cancellation, Samsung promises much better noise isolation this time around. The IPX2-rated Galaxy Buds+last up to 11 hours on a single charge, and being an in-house product, they obviously provide better optimization and other ecosystem benefits when used with the Galaxy S20.
Buy: Samsung Galaxy Buds+ ($149.99)
Sony WF-1000XM3
If sound quality is your top priority and you value the benefits of noise cancellation, the Sony WF-1000XM3 is the right choice for you. The Sony offering has a 0.24-inch driver unit and a dedicated noise-canceling chip that does its job quite well, while the DSEE HX sound enhancement engine can upscale compressed music files to bring out the best of audio files stored on your Galaxy S20. Along with the charging case, the Sony WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds can last 24-hours and they also support quick charging as well. And oh, they support customizable touch gestures and have an onboard AI assistant as well in the form of Google Assistant and Alexa built-in.
Jabra Elite 75t
If you count yourself among audiophiles and enjoy deep bass, the Jabra Elite 75t is definitely worth a try. These Alexa-enabled true wireless earbuds have been lauded for their light build, comfortable fit, and clear call quality. But above all, the great sound quality with a thumping bass output is what sets them apart. The companion app lets you customize the EQ to your liking, and the net 28 hours of battery life they promise with the charging case is also something that most users will be happy about. However, the Jabra earbuds lack active noise cancellation and also miss out on wireless charging support.
Buy: Jabra Elite 75t ($179.99)
Soundcore Liberty Air 2
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 has been quite well-received for the value it offers. These employ the cVc 8.0 Uplink Noise Cancellation tech for sound isolation and promise an even higher battery life of 28 hours. The Soundcore offering supports touch controls and also offers the facility of a voice-activated virtual assistant. The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 lets users create custom EQ profiles with the companion app and has 22 settings to let them tweak the music output to their liking. They are quite lightweight as well, and have a secure fit design to keep them from falling off.