Lucky number 13? For the new OnePlus flagship phone, it certainly seems that’s the case. The OnePlus 13 debuted on October 13 with an array of scary-good specs for Android lovers. While it’s not yet available in the West, it’s well worth keeping an eye on, especially if you’re looking to replace your current Android smartphone.
But with every new iteration of a popular branded piece of tech, even those that appear to tick every box you could possibly want (AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, affordable price), there are always questions to be asked about what other changes have been made to bring the new model in line with its competitors. And in the case of the OnePlus 13, an Android phone clearly in competition with heavy hitters like Samsung‘s lineup of Galaxy devices, it’s important to know what’s there or isn’t there before purchasing. So the question is: Does the OnePlus 13 have a headphone jack?
The OnePlus 13 skips the headphone jack once more
OnePlus has followed in the footsteps of most other smartphone manufacturers over the past decade in removing the headphone jack. But while it isn’t quite the same household name as Apple or Samsung, it’s easy to question whether OnePlus went in the same direction in terms of design as its contemporaries.
OnePlus ditched the headphone jack with the debut of the OnePlus 6T handset back in 2018, following Apple’s decision to discontinue the jack as of the iPhone 7 ( after openly mocking Apple for doing so) and getting ahead of Samsung’s removal of the connection as of its 2019 release of the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 10. So it’s been a while since OnePlus adopters have had access to a headphone jack, but this has long since become standard across the larger phone manufacturers. So it’s nothing new if you’ve had a smartphone in the past decade, though it might still be a disappointment.
Are there any other options?
If you’re set on using wired headphones with your OnePlus 13, you’re going to have to adopt a dongle. You won’t be able to plug in any gear with a 3.5mm cable, but you can get a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and use it with any of your existing wired headphones.
Otherwise, expect to have to go wireless for all your audio solutions with the OnePlus 13. You won’t get the highest-quality fidelity possible with wireless headphones, but there are a wide variety to choose from when buying a pair, whether that means getting AirPods or bass-booming over-ear headphones that give you more options.
In the end, it doesn’t matter which wireless headphones you opt for. Having some audio is better than nothing at all, which is unfortunately what you’d get if you’re counting on a headphone jack on this iteration or any other OnePlus smartphone in the future. That’s a thing of the past, but luckily, there are plenty of manufacturers willing to solve that problem with better, more affordable wireless earbuds and headphones that continue to improve every year.