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Wired earphones had slow death after Apple killed the headphone jack but in 2026 it is making a slow comeback, here’s why.
Wired earphones dangle, can fall off the ear but not very expensive. (Photo: AI generated)
Apple decided to kill the headphone jack with the iPhone 7 which also gave birth to the AirPods. Since then the wireless earbuds market has grown leaps and bounds but it seems the classic wired earphone lives to tell the tale to the new audience.
Apple’s pitch with AirPods was convenience and going wireless (duh) but it seems that same call to use earbuds is now going the other way around and that’s where the wired earphones come in as the knight in shining armour. So how has the trend taking a big U-turn and why have the wired versions become a ‘thing’ once again?
Wired Earphones Again?
Wireless earbuds are convenient to use without having any cables but that comes at the cost of possible inconvenience wherein you could drop one earbud or lose connection, which means spending more money on a new one. You can’t buy the buds separately so a fresh pair will have to be bought.
They Just Die
The wireless earbuds are tiny and compact but that means you have batteries packed inside that cannot handle long usage, even with the bundled charging case with these devices. This was never the case with wired earphones (or EarPods) and that’s where the change seems to have come in with people tired of charging yet another gadget almost daily.
Better Quality?
Many tech experts have pointed out that wired earphones (both regular and USB C versions) deliver better audio quality with higher frequency transmission across the devices and straight to your ears. There is no actual study done to prove this difference but even with our own experience on wired and wireless modes, especially with Android (Bluetooth-centric) you get some quality changes in the overall streaming.
Fashion Comeback
You may have spotted many celebrities and sports personalities wearing the wired earphones while they train or head over to play the game. Some of them using the wired earphone could be about simple fashion or just their choice of audio gear, you decide.
Nothing Good About Wireless?
To be fair, wireless earbuds are not totally losing the zing. In fact, you have seen them support better active noise cancellation, or come in the open ear versions. These also let you use AI assistants hands-free which works out better when you go for running, and those wired ones won’t cut out in those cases.
Delhi, India, India
February 18, 2026, 11:52 IST
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