Razer CEO Explains Why They Ditched Headphone Jack On The Razer Phone

The Razer Phone has been praised for being an Android smartphone specifically built with gamers in mind. However, it’s been criticized for ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack. Now, Razer’s CEO has explained why they decided to remove it.

In a Facebook post, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan explained that they removed the 3.5mm headphone jack so that the Razer Phone could have a larger battery. Tan also said that the removal of the headphone jack allowed them to bring better headphone audio quality.

“I see a lot of feedback on the removal of the headphone jack on the Razer Phone - and I wanted to share some of the thought process when we made the decision,” Tan said. “By removing the headphone jack - we were able to increase the battery size significantly (I estimate we added 500mAh more), improve thermals for performance and a whole lot more.”

The Razer Phone features a massive 4,000mAh battery, which provides users with an above average battery life under normal usage. Battery life is important with this device since this is suppose to be an Android smartphone for gaming. The Razer Phone needs a large battery if it was going to entice gamers to buy it.

One of the biggest issues with removing the 3.5mm headphone jack is forcing users to start attaching dongle adapters to their Android smartphones so they can still keep using their old headphones. Razer is doing the same thing, but the company took it a little further by including a dedicated 24-bit DAC for better audio, as pointed out by 9To5Google.

“The trade off was not having the jack - but what sealed it for me was that we were able to get audiophile quality sound with the dedicated 24-Bit THX Certified DAC adapter - and I made sure we included that with every phone. Which basically means we give even better quality headphone audio for those who want to hold on to their analog headphones,” Tan explained.

The Razer Phone only has a single USB Type-C port, which is now becoming the norm for other flagship Android smartphones. This type of port allows smartphone makers support new features, like better fast charging. For Razer’s Android smartphone, the company decided it was best to include a dedicated DAC adapter, which should go well not only for audiophiles, but also for users that want a more immersive audio experience when gaming or watching videos.

“So in short, removing the headphone jack gave better performance, more battery - and on top of that, better headphone audio performance with existing headphones and the option to go completely wireless or jacked in via USB,” Tan said. “I can't speak for other phone companies who made the decision to remove the headphone jack - but I think you guys can see why we did so.”

The Razer Phone currently sells for $699. It features a5.7-inch quad HD LCD display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The device is being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, along with 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The Razer smartphone also comes with dual cameras, Quick Charge 4+ support and Android 7.1 Nougat.