Rumor: Google Pixel 2 doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack

The Google Pixel 2 may not have a 3.5mm jack for headsets. This is evident from documentation that the site 9to5Google has seen. The site itself notes that readers should take the rumor with a grain of salt.

The site notes that the rumor is not as reliable as some of the other rumors that appear on the site. That’s because the site relies on a single source of documentation and there’s no other source or information to back up the rumor so far. If Google removes the 3.5mm jack from the next series of Pixel phones, it will follow, among others, Apple, Motorola and HTC, who also did the same on recent high-end models.

The removal would be striking, because Google marked the 3.5mm connection as a feature in one of the commercials for the Pixel phones. Some manufacturers remove the connector, because USB-C can take over the audio output function and the connector takes up space in the housing. Other manufacturers, such as LG, Sony and Huawei, do use the 3.5mm jack, because it has been a standard used for years and many users have headsets with that connection.

Whether or not to remove the 3.5mm jack was an important topic in the smartphone market last year. Motorola was the first to announce a high-end model without a 3.5mm jack with the Moto Z in June, followed by Apple in September and HTC with the U Ultra in January this year. Almost all new models at the Mobile World Congress telecom fair last week did have a 3.5mm connection.