It has been 2 years since Apple announced that the iPhone 7 would arrive sans the 3.5mm jack in 2016. With the lightning-to-3.5m adapter missing as a standard accessory in the newly announced iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, it sure looks like it is the end of a transition period.

What does this mean? This means that one would have either use a pair of headphones with a lightning connector or a pair of Bluetooth headphones. For those who want to continue using their wired headphones terminated with 3.5mm connectors can opt to purchase the USD 9 lightning-to-3.5m adapter or opt for third-party offerings such as the FiiO Q1 Mark 2 and Audirect Beam for DAC/Amp options or the FiiO μBTR Bluetooth headphone amplifier, all of which we reviewed earlier as solutions for “jack-less” smartphones.