This Moto Z USB-C headphone adapter could be what iPhone 7 users have to look forward to

Dongles suck.

Scott Stein Editor at Large

I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.

Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials

Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps

See full bio

Scott Stein

July 14, 2016 9:22 a.m. PT

See this? It's a USB-C-to-3.5 mm headphone jack adapter. It comes in the box of the new Moto Z, Motorola's flagship phone with hot-swappable accessories...and no standard headphone jack. Instead, it just has USB-C. We just got our review units and did a quick unboxing. Is it annoying? Yes, it's annoying.

The Moto Z is one of the first phones I've ever seen that ditches the headphone jack, but it most definitely won't be the last. In fact, Apple's iPhone 7 seems by all reports to be doing away with the headphone jack, too. In Apple's case, maybe, we'll be looking at a Lightning-to-headphone adapter.

Lightning-connected headphones have been seen by CNET before, and maybe there will be USB-C ones, too. A lot of people just go wireless with Bluetooth. Those people aren't me. I prefer a clean signal over a wire. And I'm not wild about dongles.

Even more amusing is that the Motorola Moto Z doesn't even come with headphones.