With less than two weeks before the much-awaited launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9, leaks and specs rumors on the South Korean tech firm's next-gen flagship have been appearing left and right. Aside from the potential high-end hardware features and slicker display, many users are still concerned about the fate of the 3.5mm headphone jack in the Galaxy S8's successor. Per the latest leaks, it appears that the Galaxy S9 is not jumping into the USB-C earphone plugs just yet.
As reported by CNET, the ever-reliable tech tipster Evan Blass has recently posted the leaked renders of the Samsung Galaxy S9. His post is actually focused on the new Samsung accessory called the DeX Pad, which is the upgraded version of the Galaxy S8's DeX dock. However, by looking closely at the lower left portion of the leaked image, the 3.5mm headphone jack can be seen, thus sealing the fate of the traditional audio socket.
Apple is the first handset maker to start the trend of premium smartphone ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack. After the iPhone 7, the rest of the companies followed suit with their current handsets relying on USB-C Bluetooth connections to listen through the earphone. The iPhone 8, iPhone X, Google Pixel 2 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro are just some of the examples of handsets saying goodbye to the traditional audio jack, but based on the latest leak, Samsung remains unfazed by this trend as the Galaxy S9 is going to stick with this feature.
Going back to the DeX Pad, the Samsung Galaxy S9 accessory is designed to build a stable connection between the smartphone and a monitor, making the handset as a small-scale central processing unit (CPU). Blass' latest leak shows the DeX Pad having extra USB ports and a full-size HDMI output. The accessory also has a USB-C connection for charging. It is said to be backward-compatible with the Galaxy S8 smartphone as well, according to The Verge.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will be showcased on Feb. 25 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.
