The Best Phones With an Actual Headphone Jack

Julian Chokkattu

It's been seven years since Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone. Yes, you can get excellent wireless earbuds nowadays, but maybe you prefer plugging in, or you just don't want to think about charging your headphones. The joy of the 3.5-mm headphone connector is that it's one of the few universal standards left.

You can use pretty much any pair of corded headphones--no need to worry about whether they're Lightning or USB-C or whether the connectivity will blip in and out. No batteries to charge, no dongles to attach, no earbuds to lose. There are times when Bluetooth is preferable, but it's nice to at least have the option. After testing dozens of smartphones, these are the best with the venerable port. Read our Best Android Phones, Best iPhones, and Best Cheap Phones guides for more.

Updated September 2023: We've added the Moto G Stylus 5G, Asus ROG Phone 7, OnePlus Nord N30 5G, Sony Xperia 1 V, and Asus Zenfone 10.

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Samsung's Galaxy A14 5G (9/10, WIRED Recommends) takes the top spot in this guide because it's easy on the wallet, works on all major US carriers, and has the coveted headphone jack. This 6.6-inch Android phone has a textured back that gives it a bit more character than most cheap phones. The MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip inside crushes most tasks--apps launch quickly with rarely any stutters and even lightweight games like Alto's Odyssey and Dead Cells run smoothly. The 90-Hz refresh rate is a nice touch that makes every operation feel fluid, and the LCD 1080p screen is adequate. It might have three cameras on the back, but only the 50-MP main camera is really usable; it offers decent daytime photos and passable low-light images.

The battery easily lasts two full days on a single charge, and you get niceties like a microSD card slot, a reliable fingerprint scanner, and NFC so you can tap to pay at retailers. Most impressive is Samsung's commitment to software updates. The Galaxy A14 5G will get two OS upgrades and four years of security patches--hard to find on a phone so cheap. The only downside is the lack of an IP rating, so be careful around water.

If you don't want to sacrifice performance, then the Zenfone 10 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is your best option. This 5.9-inch phone is tiny but powerful, thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the very same that's inside other flagship phones of 2023. It also has an AMOLED screen with a 120-Hz refresh rate for smooth interactions, though it could stand to be brighter. The battery easily lasts nearly two full days too, and there's an IP68 rating. There's no glass on the back, so you only have to worry about cracking the screen, and it has all the other bells and whistles, including wireless charging.

It won't work on Verizon, just AT&T and T-Mobile. The camera system is decent--it tends to oversaturate and struggles with high-contrast scenes, but the photos are entirely satisfactory. You do get solid 4K video stabilization, though anyone looking for seriously stable footage will want a gimbal or an action camera.

The primary reason to get the Asus ROG Phone 7 is that it's a kickass device for playing mobile games and streaming games from your Xbox or PlayStation. Not only does it have the most extra specs--like the 12 GB of RAM and 165-Hz screen refresh rate--but Asus has all kinds of accessories like the AeroActive Cooler 7, which keeps the phone cool so you can play for a longer period of time without any slowdowns or stutters. It also has built-in software to map your game controls to the two touch-sensitive shoulder buttons on the corners of the phone. The 6,000-mAh battery will easily last two days with average use and will power your long gaming sessions. And Asus finally improved its software policy too--the ROG will get two OS upgrades and four years of security updates.

There are caveats. It's huge and heavy. It only works on AT&T and T-Mobile (sorry, Verizon subscribers). There's no wireless charging, the IP54 water resistance rating is lackluster, and the cameras are just OK. But hey, at least it has a headphone jack, and two USB-C ports so you can charge in any orientation. Plus some sick RGB to show it off to your fellow gam3r friends.

Motorola phones are almost always steeply discounted, so don't buy the Moto G Stylus 5G (6/10, WIRED Review) at full price. Make sure you're also buying the right model--there are a lot of Moto G Styluses out there. This one supports 5G connectivity, has a built-in stylus you can use for notation or doodles, and has decent performance via the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset. There's a decently bright 6.6-inch LCD screen, and you also get a lot of storage--256 gigs plus the option to expand it with a microSD card. This is also the only Moto G smartphone in the current lineup with NFC support, so you can use it to make contactless payments.

The camera system is passable, don't put too much stock into it, but the real downside is software support. This phone will only receive one Android OS upgrade (to Android 14). At least it will get three years of security updates.

Jeremy White

Julian Chokkattu

Medea Giordano

Martin Cizmar

The Xperia series has become a weird lineup in the past few years as Sony keeps bumping up the price. The preceding model hit an absurd $1,600 MSRP, and it doesn't even fold! The price isn't as high anymore with the Xperia 1 V (7/10, WIRED Recommends), but it's still stupidly expensive at $1,400. Sure, you get a 4K resolution OLED screen, a grippy and narrow screen (it's very tall), the headphone jack, a microSD card slot, and the top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. It even has many photographer-friendly features, like a physical camera button, manual mode for video and photo, and tons of settings you can tweak to get the perfect shot.

However, the results from the camera (if you're not a shutterbug) are just not as good as other phones in this price range. Sony's imaging software is also clunky and confusing, and it only promises two Android OS upgrades with three years of security updates. You should expect better at this price. Try and catch it on sale if you really want it.

The OnePlus Nord N30 5G (6/10, WIRED Recommends) is boring. It looks drab and doesn't offer anything dramatically new or interesting. Still, in a world where there are so few phones with a headphone jack, each one counts. The performance is pretty good, the 120-Hz LCD screen is a nice touch, and the stereo speakers get decently loud. The headphone jack is joined by a microSD card slot, NFC for contactless payments, and it recharges quite quickly (80 percent in 30 minutes!). It'll work on all major US carriers to boot. The best part about it is its battery life, which has no trouble stretching two days on a single charge.

Unfortunately, the cameras are mediocre, and the haptics aren't very strong. While it will get three years of security updates, it will only get one Android OS update. That's just not as good as the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, which is $100 cheaper.

Sorry iPhone owners. None of Apple's phones have a headphone jack, and that includes the iPhone SE. You'll have to make do with a headphone dongle. The options below should work. And if you have an Android phone that lacks the jack, we have a nice pair of USB-C earbuds we like.

For iPhone: Apple Lightning to 3.5-mm Adapter for $8. If you want to be safe and stick with Apple-branded cables, this simple adapter will let you quickly plug your cans into your iPhone. I recommend buying several because they're easy to lose.

For other phones: Google USB-C Earbuds for $35. If you have an Android phone without a headphone jack, try these USB-C earbuds from Google. They sound decent, and you can get Google Assistant to read out notifications when your phone is in your pocket. If you just want an adapter so you can use your own headphones, Apple has a USB-C to 3.5-mm adapter that should work.

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Julian Chokkattu

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