Moto Z and Z Force Lack a 3.5mm Audio Jack; Instead Rely on the USB Type-C Port for Routing Audio to Headphones

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 9 Jun 2016

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Motorola just announced the Moto Z and Moto Z Force at the Lenovo Tech World. While the company promoted the battery life, design, camera, and Moto Mods functionality of the phones, it did not mention one important thing: both phones lack a 3.5mm audio jack.

Instead, just like as we have seen on some of the latest smartphones from LeEco, the Moto Z and Z Force will be routing audio through the USB Type-C port. To make this transition easier, Motorola has included a 3.5mm audio jack to USB Type-C converter with both phones.

With Apple reportedly switching over to Lightning port on the iPhone 7 and ditching the 3.5mm audio jack, it is not surprising to see many Android OEMs follow suit.

The lack of a 3.5mm audio jack on the Moto Z and Z Force are definitely going to be a bummer for many, but it is now just a matter of time before smartphones and eventually other devices switch over to USB Type-C port for audio as well.