Best Android phones with a headphone jack 2023

Headphone jacks no longer come as standard, having gone the way of the dinosaur over the last few years. A few decent Android phones still cling to the old ways, keeping the rare audio port for wired headphones alive. It's hard to find flagship phones with headphone jacks these days.

You might think your best bet is to grab an older high-end phone or a mid-ranger for less, and you wouldn't be wrong. However, there are still some nuggets of gold available that offer you that coveted feature. Spectacular phones like the Zenfone 10 are some of the best Android phones with a headphone jack. After conducting some tedious research on your behalf, we have rounded up all your best options right here.

At a glance

Best overall

ASUS Zenfone 10 review

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)
The best small Android phone ever.

Reasons to buy

+
Wireless charging
+
IP68 waterproof rating
+
Good camera setup
+
5.92-inch 144Hz AMOLED display makes it ideal for one-handed use
+
Great internals and software overall
+
Comes in plenty of colors

Reasons to avoid

-
Only two OS updates

There is no better Android phone with a headphone jack than the wonderful little Zenfone 10. ASUS took us by surprise with the Zenfone 8, but users complained about it being boring. With the Zenfone 9, that changed. And happily, the Zenfone 10 continues the legacy of this phone that only gets better with newer iterations.

You can get the 5.92-inch ASUS Zenfone 10 in a bunch of splashy colors, including the smoldering bright red that has fast become a signature look for the Zenfone series. This excellent small phone has powerful internals, packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor as well as 8GB or 12GB RAM and 256GB or 512GB storage.

Amazingly, you also get premium features like wireless charging and an IP68 water and dust-proof rating. For $700, this is the best Android phone with an AUX port.

Best budget

Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) face down

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Pen down your thoughts.

Reasons to buy

+
Stylus built-in
+
Snappy 120Hz LCD screen
+
Excellent all-day battery
+
Loud stereo speakers
+
Decent primary camera
+
Three years of updates

Reasons to avoid

-
Ultrawide and selfie cameras need improvement
-
No waterproof rating
-
Only one platform upgrade

There aren't many flagships that still cling to the 3.5mm audio jack, but you can always invest in awesome mid-rangers like the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). You can pair it with one of the best-wired headphones available today to maximize your audio experience.

The Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) retains everything that made the Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) such a hit with subtle (but awesome) improvements. You get a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery that lasts all day long. Motorola bumped the charging specs to faster 20W charging.

The main attraction of this phone is the built-in stylus, microSD card slot for expandable storage, and of course, the headphone jack. The last two are rare features today, so it's nice to see so much in a $300 phone.

Unfortunately, the water-repellant design is not backed by an actual IP rating. Also, Motorola has only promised one major Android update for the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023), so it won't get any more platform upgrades after Android 14.

Best under $300

Taking a photo with the OnePlus Nord N30 5G

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Big battery, bigger heart.

Reasons to buy

+
Clean software with plenty of extra features
+
Expandable storage
+
IP54 water and dust resistance
+
6.72-inch 120Hz LCD display looks great
+
Amazing 5,000mAh cell with 50W SUPERVOOC ultra-fast charging

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited to one major OS upgrade
-
Not the best cameras

Only got $300 in your pocket? Say no more! The OnePlus Nord N30 is a 5G phone with value-packed internals and superb battery specs. This device lasts for two days easily, and when that runs out, you've got an incredible 50W SUPERVOOC ultra-fast charging to take advantage of. What's more, OnePlus includes the charger in the box.

In addition to a headphone jack, the Nord N30 5G also has a microSD slot. OnePlus went ahead and added IP54 water and dust resistance as well, so you can rest assured that the phone is durable. The large 6.72-inch LCD screen has a snappy 120Hz refresh rate, making transitions seem smoother.

We do wish that the cameras were better, and the performance doesn't cut it for gaming. You get Android 13 out of the box with a neat and clean OxygenOS 13.1 skin layered on top. There are lots of meaningful extras baked into the software, but OnePlus will only push one more OS update to the Nord N30 5G, which is a bummer. Still, the overall package makes this one of the best Android phones under $300.

Best performance

ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)
Killer performance in a boisterous body.

Reasons to buy

+
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC with beefy internals
+
Insane 6,000mAh battery with
65W wired and 10W reverse wired charging
+
IP54 rating
+
Bright 6.78-inch 165Hz AMOLED panel
+
Top-tier cooling system
+
Shoulder triggers for gaming
+
HDMI port with two USB-C ports, one of which has DisplayPort 1.4

Reasons to avoid

-
Just two platform updates
-
Doesn't have as good cameras as competitors
-
Extremely large and bulky

The ASUS ROG Phone 7 is one big, bad boy that means business. This is hands-down the best-performing phone with a headphone jack and stereo speakers that are unmatched by any other Android device.

This is the more affordable version of the overpowered ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, but both phones have a lot in common. Their spec sheets overlap a lot more than you would expect, considering the sub-$1000 price tag. You get two Type-C ports, one HDMI port, an audio jack, shoulder triggers, and illuminated RGB lights on the back of the ROG Phone 7.

Under the hood, ASUS fitted the ROG Phone 7 with all the latest internals. There's the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor powering the device, as well as Bluetooth 5.3, WiFi 7, UFS 4.0 storage, and an under-display fingerprint scanner. The large 6.78-inch 165Hz AMOLED display has a peak brightness level of 1,500 nits and is secured by Gorilla Glass Victus.

Even the back of the ASUS ROG Phone 7 is reinforced with Gorilla Glass 3. This is one of the few gaming phones that have amazing cooling systems as well as an IP54 water and dust-proof rating. Speaking of gaming, you get extras like shoulder triggers and a host of gaming features baked in. You won't regret buying this phone, unless you want great cameras and more than two major platform upgrades.

Best value

Poco F5 back panel

(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)
Bang for your buck.

Reasons to buy

+
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 delivers above-expected performance
+
Lovely design
+
IP53 splash and dust resistance
+
Very generous 5,000mAh battery
+
Speedy 67W fast charging

Reasons to avoid

-
Comes with bloatware
-
Lackluster, last-gen cameras
-
Two Android updates
-
No CDMA support in the U.S.

Xiaomi's sub-brand Poco rebrands some of the company's "Mi" phones and wells them under the Poco banner. We aren't complaining, though, because the brilliant Poco F5 is basically just the Redmi Note 12 Turbo, which is an epic device on its own.

As you'd expect from any value phone worth its salt, the Poco F5 has amazing battery life and rapid charging support. The 5,000mAh battery provides more than enough juice for the Poco F5 to last two days or more. To top it off, the affordable phone takes it up a notch with 67W wired charging.

You also get IP53 splash and dust-proofing, as well as a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and stereo speakers. Xiaomi promises three years of security updates but only two major OS updates. 

If you need to save some money with your next phone purchase, the Poco F5 is a reasonable flagship that offers great value, especially thanks to its fast performance and vibrant AMOLED screen. Unfortunately, Xiaomi phones don't work on CDMA carriers, so you'd better go for the OnePlus Nord N30 5G if you're in the U.S. and have a tight budget.

Best for gaming

RedMagic 8S Pro

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)
Wallet-friendly gaming phone.

Reasons to buy

+
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with Red Core 2 co-processor
+
Notch-free 6.68-inch 120Hz AMOLED display
+
Large two-day battery with super fast charging
+
Amazing cooling system
+
Lighter and cheaper than the ASUS ROG Phone 7

Reasons to avoid

-
UDC front camera isn't good enough yet
-
No IP rating or wireless charging
-
Only one OS upgrade

The RedMagic 8S Pro has a cleaner, less boisterous design language but still maintains subtle gamer-esque elements like RGB lighting and an RGB cooling fan. There are touch panels on the shoulders to be used as triggers and a dedicated gaming mode button on the side.

RedMagic has had a long, winding journey to the place it's at now, and we respect the band for consistently improving and innovating along the way. Apart from the headphone port, you also get stereo speakers with Dolby DTS:X sound. The cooling system is phenomenal, with 12 intricate layers. The display will blow you away thanks to its notch-less form. There's an under-display camera instead of your regular front camera, making the 6.8-inch 120Hz AMOLED display look even nicer. Sadly, the camera itself isn't ready for prime time just yet and delivers awful results.

Of course, this being a gaming phone, the guts are as beautiful as the exterior. You get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the Red Core 2 coprocessor, a 6,000mAh battery, 65W fast wired charging, decent cameras, three gaming mics, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.3. Considering the price, this is an excellent gaming phone that most people can afford.

Don't miss out on the headphone jack

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Nowadays, most companies have moved past the norm of including a headphone jack in the best Android phones. Users now have to decide whether they want a flagship device or a 3.5mm port. If you're unwilling to make do with USB-C headphone adapters or the best wireless headphones, there are still several solid choices.

There aren't many modern phones that come with a headphone jack as well as the latest OS and guaranteed support for many years. Thankfully, the mighty little Zenfone 10 makes up for the lack of variety by being so great. You can purchase the brilliant ASUS Zenfone 10 to get literally every feature under the sun, including a 3.5mm audio port. The phone comes in some beautiful colorways, and it delivers a sublime user experience owing to its top-notch internals.

According to at least one Android Central editor, the headphone jack isn't coming back. So you may want to grab one of these phones and enjoy that jack before it goes the way of the dodo bird for good.

Namerah Saud Fatmi
Editor — Accessories, speakers, and tablets

Namerah enjoys geeking out over accessories, gadgets, and all sorts of smart tech. She spends her time guzzling coffee, writing, casual gaming, and cuddling with her furry best friends. Find her on Twitter @NamerahS.

With contributions from
  • Stanley Kubrick
    ALL cell phones should have a headphone jack! I hate ear buds because I do NOT stick plastic items in my ears and I do NOT want to have to charge up another EXPENSIVE piece of tech!
    Wired headphones all the way!!!
    Reply