Moto Z Play to get headphone jack

The Moto Z Force and the Moto Z Force Droid (a Verizon exclusive in the US) are all set to arrive on the market, though the Lenovo-owned company has already unveiled these two new handsets. The Moto Z Play, however, is a budget-friendly version of the headset(s) that is also soon to arrive on the market. The high-end Moto Z Force and Moto Z will lack the 3.5mm headphone jack, making them the world’s first headphone jackless phones, but, surprisingly, Motorola isn’t making that step with the Moto Z Play, a more budget-friendly version of the new modular flagship whose specs have been leaked recently. According to a reliable source that’s given us the time and place of the Moto Z announcement before the unveiling, the Z Play will not follow the new trend and will maintain the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The site HelloMotoHK has leaked a photo at Google+ with the words “Z – Z Play – Z Force,” showing the bottom portion of each handset in the order in which they are named: first the Z, then the Moto Z Play, then the Moto Z Force. The Moto Z lacks the 3.5mm headphone jack, as does the Moto Z Force (the more shatter-resistant and ruggedized phone of the trio). There is a phone in the middle, and it has the hole where headphones are usually inserted. Yes, the Moto Z Play will feature the 3.5mm headphone jack, a move that brings it into conflict with the high-end handsets.

The photo shown doesn’t show anything else, except that the phone in question, the Moto Z Play, features the headphone jack. As a budget-friendly device, it’s understandable that Motorola would lead the headphone jack intact, since budget-friendly owners wouldn’t likely be able to afford wireless headphones (or, in many cases, wouldn’t want to). LG has some wireless headphones that cost around $70, which isn’t that terribly expensive when you consider that battery packs and battery cases often cost more than that. Still, it’s having the consumer in mind, who wants to save at any cost, that has motivated Motorola here — and that’s to be commended. Plus, some consumers prefer to not have to charge their headphones too, and wired headphones in the headphone jack are a perfect way to avoid having one more thing to charge. The high-end Z phones have already decided to ditch the headphone jack, and the upcoming iPhone 7 looks ready to join them.

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