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USB-C vs. 3.5mm Headphone Jacks: Audio Quality Hinges on Where Conversion Happens

A USB-C port does not automatically sound better than a 3.5mm jack, Engadget reports. The decisive difference is whether digital-to-analog conversion happens inside the phone or in the headphones, adapter or earbuds.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-15 01:23

The 3.5mm jack, a smaller descendant of the 6.35mm phone plug, carried an already-converted analog signal from the phone to the listening device. Apple removed it from the iPhone 7 in 2016 and steered users toward Lightning. Google dropped the jack from the Pixel 2 the following year in favor of USB-C, and Samsung followed in 2019. Industry shifts and European Union regulations eventually pushed Apple to retire its proprietary Lightning port and adopt USB-C with the release of the iPhone 15.

Not every manufacturer has moved on. Sony released the Xperia 1 VIII with a 3.5mm jack in June 2026, and a handful of mid-tier and budget phones still include one. On the rest, a single USB-C port handles charging, data transfer and wired audio.

The two approaches differ chiefly in where the digital-to-analog conversion, or DAC, takes place. With a 3.5mm jack, the phone converts digital audio to an analog signal internally before it leaves the device, so the quality of the phone's own DAC and headphone amplifier largely determines the sound. With USB-C, the phone sends a digital signal through the port and an external DAC, built into the earbuds, headphones or a USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter, performs the conversion. That is why most smartphones require an active adapter with its own DAC. Some phones also support an Audio Accessory Mode that lets the USB port pass analog audio through.

Engadget states that neither connector has a formula that guarantees premium sound. A USB-C setup can produce excellent audio when the external DAC and amplifier are high quality, and a 3.5mm output can exceed expectations when the phone itself carries premium conversion hardware.

Compatibility favors the older standard. The 3.5mm port remains common in cars, laptops, speakers, televisions and desktop computers, so one pair of wired headphones works directly across all of them without an adapter.

In raw audio potential, USB-C is the more capable of the two, provided it is paired with good hardware. A premium USB-C DAC adapter delivers a cleaner and more powerful signal than a phone's built-in 3.5mm output, particularly with demanding over-ear headphones, while a basic USB-C adapter offers no meaningful advantage over a headphone jack. Low-quality components, including inexpensive USB-C adapters and earbuds, are likely to sound worse.

Engadget concludes that for an average listener using decent equipment, the difference in the overall experience is not profound. Neither connector is inherently superior in every combination of phone and headphones, but 3.5mm continues to offer the simpler and more widely compatible experience.