As you know, we’ve been tracking the progress of iPhone 7 through weeks of speculation, rumors and hints until the device was finally launched 2 days ago on September 7, 2016. One of the biggest issues we saw with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus was the replacing of the familiar 3.5 mm audio jack with the lightning connector. The connector doesn’t allow you to plug in your headphones and charge your iPhone 7 at the same time. Until now…
Apple was obviously well aware of the “either charge your phone or plug in your headset” problem with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, so they’ve come up with innovative ways to work around that. The first option they showcased was the Bluetooth tethering, which Apple said is four times more reliable than a physical cable being plugged in to the device. We commented on that in our earlier article reviewing both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Here’s a link to the article for your reference.
Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Review: What’s the Buzz Tell Me What’s a-Happening
But that’s not the only solution. Apple knew that there would be some controversy around dropping the 3.5 mm audio jack, so they’re now partnered with device-maker Belkin to manufacture an adaptor that will allow you to plug in your EarPods (as well as charge your phone at the same time.
The adaptor retails for about $40, but we see some value in that because it will allow you to listen to music with your lightning EarPods as well as charge your phone at the same time. With tons of Apple users complaining about quick battery drain, even the “two extra hours of battery power” on iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus may not have enough “juice” for you to listen to music or watch videos for extended periods of time.
But if you want to use your analog headset and charge at the same time, you’ll need to couple the Belkin adaptor with the free lightning dongle that Apple is providing in the box with both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The third option is to buy a wireless charging dock for iPhone 7, but Apple hasn’t said anything about that just yet. In fact, could that be what Apple is teasing us with on its website, or it is something far more innocent like the Belkin adaptor, perhaps?
Either way, we now have multiple options to deal with the missing 3.5 mm audio jack issue on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It’s a bit of a workaround but it gets the job done if you’re particularly fussy about your music.
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