The 3.5mm headphone jack has nearly gone extinct, but these excellent Android phones are still holding on.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro was on my radar for a bit, but I’m really not a fan of their software.
I believe that version has pretty good support for custom roms.
That could be an option, but IIRC to unlock the bootloader you have to contact Xiaomi’s support and wait for them to give you a code
Also I would prefer to just use stock OS and not risking bricking the device
Reportedly they changed the requirement for bootloader unlocking to be much harder, with a global limited number activation per day. Basically next to impossible with the official tools.
It won’t be long before Custom Rom maintainer will lose interest on new Xiaomi phones.
https://github.com/zenfyrdev/bootloader-unlock-wall-of-shame/blob/main/brands/xiaomi/README.md
That’s great that they have headphone jacks but these are otherwise terrible phones, with max 2 years of software updates and, in the case of Sony, absolutely massive and crazy expensive. Plus they added a subscription fee for their one main selling point: working as an external display for Sony cameras.
with max 2 years of software updates
Aren’t they forced to provide 5 years of updates due to EU regulations?
Maybe in the EU?
Quick check for the Sony 1 VII
Android 15, up to 4 major Android upgrades
https://m.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_1_vii_5g-13843.php
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still stupidly expensive.
Did Sony themselves say that? I wouldn’t trust a third party site without first party verification.
Furthermore, this device supports up to four OS version upgradesxii and six years of security updatesxiii, allowing for comfortable use over an extended period.
xii Up to four upgrades to the latest OS will be applied starting from the time of release. The number of upgrades may vary depending on the timing of the purchase.
xiii Security updates will be applied for up to six years from the time of release. The duration of support may vary depending on the timing of the purchase
https://www.sony.eu/presscentre/sony-introduces-its-latest-flagship-smartphone-xperia-1-vii
I just looked up smartphones with headphone and SD card slots on GSMarena, and there are 159 models even from 2025. That’s more than I expected. And most of them are actually affordable and worth the cost - I wouldn’t recommend half the devices on this list purely based on price to performance ratio.
Moto G56 was on my radar, but seems like a sidegrade from my G84
Most of the devices on that list are hard to find in Europe.
The Moto Stylus 2025 is perfect on paper, but is only sold in the US for some reason.
Only one slimmer than 73mm… 😭
Are we still discussing headphone jack??
I thought I’d miss my headphone jack a lot more, but I can’t even recall the last time I’ve needed it.
More enshittification. I still use my headphone jack occasionally.
I use it every day
I don’t even know how to use a headphone jack to connect my Bluetooth headphones…
