The best Android phones with a headphone jack 2026

These days, the best Android phones with a headphone jack are few and far between. The venerable 3.5mm audio port once used to be standard or just about every mobile device, but that's not the case anymore. Increased popularity of wireless audio accessories such as earbuds and speakers has led to the 3.5mm audio port becoming a rarity, or even a relic of the past.

While Bluetooth technology has improved quite a bit over the past few years, you still have the USB-C port on modern-day smartphones that can also be used for wired audio in addition to charging and data transfer. There are a number of USB-C headphones available in the market, and these can be paired with DACs and amps for incredible audio quality.

Even so, if you insist on having an Android phone with the good ol' headphone jack in 2026, our top vote goes to the ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra, which continues to be a fantastic flagship device with impressive performance, solid cameras, and good battery life. There are also some stellar value-for-money options such as the Moto G Stylus 2026, which now has an active stylus and gets fast wired and wireless charging, complete with practical features like storage expansion and NFC. You can also consider the RedMagic 11 Pro if you're a mobile gamer, as it comes with blazing-fast hardware, a liquid cooling setup, and much more.

Namerah Saud Fatmi

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.

At a glance

Best overall

The Zenfone 12 Ultra largely carries on the design philosophy ASUS took on with the previous model, right down to the same screen and (mostly) same internals to go along with IP68 protection. Taking some elements from the ROG phone series adds an extra punch to this device that only makes the headphone jack's presence a more pleasant addition.

Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, you can expect outstanding gaming performance and smooth multitasking. Not to mention a cleaner, bloat-free ZenUI overlay on top of Android 15. The problem is ASUS remains stingy on the updates, only promising two years of Android OS updates, especially because the company has stopped making smartphones.

You can get the Zenfone 12 Ultra in three colors called Ebony Black, Sakura White, and Sage Green. Given this trio, it seems ASUS is moving away from some of the brighter colors of past generations.

The phone also retains the same 5,500mAh battery as the last two years, and it can easily last a full day on a full charge. There's, however, no charger in the box, so your best bet for a faster charge is to use any PD charger up to 65W output.

While the Zenfone 12 Ultra replaces the Zenfone 11 Ultra, the latter might be the better value because it's so similar, albeit without the higher price tag.

Best budget

The new Moto G Power 2025 brought many notable improvements over the last-gen model, without any bump in price. Meanwhile, the new Moto G Power 2026 is actually worse, dropping wireless charging and not having much in terms of upgrades, which is why the 2025 model is still our pick.

For starters, it gets an updated design that puts it in more line with Motorola's more premium Edge series smartphones. The build and construction are also surprisingly solid for a $300 device. The vegan leather back feels good, and the new Leaf Green color is sure to turn heads.

Perhaps the biggest addition is the IP68/IP69 rating for extreme waterproofing. This makes it as resilient to water ingress as more expensive phones such as the OnePlus 13, which is a very commendable feat. The 6.8-inch display is still an LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, but with a max brightness of 1,000 nits we didn't face any issues viewing content in most lighting conditions.

Performance is not the best as the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset is a bit of a downgrade to the previous model. The interface can feel a bit slow at times, even with 8GB of RAM, but overall, it's still very useable. The cameras are also a bit meh despite having a high-resolution 50MP main sensor. The ultrawide has autofocus so it can double up as a macro camera, which is nice. Although it might seem like there's a third rear camera sensor, that's just a light sensor.

Battery life is solid and charging is fairly quick too at 30W, but the charger is sold separately. Motorola has kept the 15W wireless charging, which again, is not that common in this segment. There's Android 15 out of the box with two years of OS upgrades promised by Motorola. Overall, the Moto G Power 2025 is among the best Android phones under $300 with a 3.5mm audio port that also has a bunch of premium features.

Best for audiophiles

The Sony Xperia 1 VII offers unique features like native support for Sony's Alpha cameras. The software and bezels are very 2016-core, even if you do get Android 15 out of the box. You also get a marvelous headphone jack with LDAC support for hi-res audio, so audiophiles will love the smartphone regardless.

To help the device stand out, Sony equipped the Xperia 1 VII with Zeiss cameras. The camera app is no longer convoluted as it was with the previous generations, combining photo and video functions together. Since this phone mostly caters to cinematographers, it has outstanding Zeiss cameras that deliver natural-looking photographs. You even get a telephoto lens and 4K video capture at 120Hz.

You get a lovely 6.5-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED panel on the Sony Xperia 1 VII, and it is coupled with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 12GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of internal storage. The phone still has a microSD card slot, which we love to see in this day and age. You'll be blown away by the very capable stereo sound system of the device.

Sony has promised four platform upgrades and six years of security updates for this exorbitantly expensive smartphone. Unfortunately, the Xperia 1 VII misses out on cool software features and quick charging speed to compete with big-name manufacturers like Samsung and Google. It also costs more than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Best with a stylus

Stylish and practical in equal measure, the Moto G Stylus 2026 offers a key feature that you'd find (and a few that you won't) in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, all for a fraction of the price. Although it's a relatively modest upgrade when compared to the last-generation model, there are still quite a few improvements that are genuinely worth the (slightly) increased asking price.

For starters, the standout feature (and namesake) of the Moto G Stylus 2026 is now even better. Yes, you now get an active stylus with tilt detection and pressure sensitivity, which makes everything from jotting down notes to doodling an enjoyable experience. Under the hood, you still get the same hardware specifications, but both the RAM (LPDDR5X) and the onboard storage (UFS 3.1) are now faster, thus making everyday usage a smooth and fuss-free affair. The dimensions are exactly the same, as is the gorgeous vegan leather back panel, except for the slightly different-looking camera island. Speaking of which, you get a dual-lens primary camera setup that Android Central's Derrek Lee found to be quite good in his review, with a bunch of AI-based utilities thrown into the mix as well. When it comes to connectivity and I/O, the Moto G Stylus 2026 offers everything you could possibly ask for, including a microSD expansion slot, NFC, and of course, a 3.5mm audio port.

The smartphone now packs a bigger 5,200mAh battery that can easily go a full day (if not more) with moderate to heavy use, and there's support for fast wired and wireless charging as well.

Best value

While the Galaxy A26 isn’t Samsung’s cheapest smartphone, it isn’t that much far off. Even so, it packs some surprising hardware starting with a big 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness. That’s bright enough to see outdoors on a sunny day. The Samsung Exynos 1380 SoC powering the device isn’t exactly impressive, but it gets the job done with plenty of power for messaging, social media, and of course, all music streaming apps.

The 3.5mm audio part is at the bottom of the device, to the left of the USB-C port. Since it’s at the bottom, it’s easy to use with an aux cable in the car or keep your headphones in while using other apps. You’ll be able to keep using the phone for hours on end as well with a large 5,000mAh battery and 25W wired charging.

Where Samsung really shows its teeth in the budget category is with software. Samsung has included Android 15 with its One UI 7 skin and has promised six years of updates. That puts this smartphone’s support on par with some top-tier flagships like the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra, at least in terms of long-term software support.

Best for gaming

When it comes to gaming-centric smartphones, RedMagic is a name that needs absolutely no introduction. Among the brand's latest offering is the RedMagic 11 Pro, and it packs in more than enough power for all your requirements (gaming or otherwise).

The design of the RedMagic 11 Pro is something that immediately makes it stand out, with exposed screws and brushed metal surfaces underneath the back glass making for a truly unique visual appeal. You get Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset at the helm, along with up to 24GB of RAM (no, it's not a typo) and up to 1TB of onboard storage. That's more than what some PCs have, so it's really no surprise that the smartphone can handle just about everything you throw at it with absolutely no effort. As a gaming device, it features dedicated liquid cooling for improved thermal efficiency during your long gaming sessions. The 6.85-inch AMOLED panel supports a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and works just as great as it looks. You also get a dual-lens camera system at the back which works well.

Hands down one of the best gaming phones available out there, the RedMagic 11 Pro packs a 3.5mm audio port, NFC, and USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort functionality. Keeping the lights on is a behemoth 7,500mAh silicon-carbon battery, complete with 80W wired and wireless charging support.

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Other phones we tested

Not every smartphone makes the cut when it comes to the best ranked phones. This doesn't mean that that device should be completely disregarded though. In particular, Sony has excellent Android phones with audio ports to offer, but some of them fail to compete with our top choices, or modern smartphones in general. This is for various reasons, including lackluster software and a lack of availability.

How to choose

Most companies have moved past the norm of including a 3.5mm audio port in the best Android phones. Users now have to decide whether they want a flagship device or wired audio. You can probably make do with some USB-C headphone adapters if you don’t mind adding a little extra to your daily carry. If you’ve been holding off and none of these phones meet your needs, it may also be the time to consider the best wireless headphones.

If you live in regions like Europe, Asia, Africa, or the Middle East, phone brands like Redmi, Poco, and even Sony Xperia are still including headphone jacks on some of their models.

There aren't many high-end phones that come with a headphone jack as well as the latest Android OS with years of guaranteed support. The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra fills that gap nicely, thanks to its flagship-class SoC and excellent display, even if the company has stepped away from the smartphone business. You can purchase the Zenfone 12 Ultra to get key features, including a 3.5mm audio port and wireless charging.

These phones won't replace your Walkman

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Sony also deserves a mention for continuing to provide headphone jacks with its Xperia line of phones with very clever features, such as using headphones as an audio monitor for the cameras. Even so, Sony isn’t building phone versions of its Hi-Fi Walkman personal media players, and you’ll find the DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and amp still struggle with higher impedance listening. Still, if these other Android phones aren’t scratching the itch, phones like the Sony Xperia 1 VII do come with solid analog audio experiences.

If you’re looking for a headphone jack more for audio quality reasons, rather than convenience, many of these phones may prove to be disappointing. While most of these phones have decent audio quality and will be fine for a set of cheap earbuds, they’ll struggle to make higher-impedance headphones sound good. Some older devices, like the late LG V60, included a high-quality DAC and amplifier, but most phones available now stick to cheaper options.

Similarly, you can pick up one of the best DACs for Android, which can be left attached to your favorite headphones, or stowed away in your bag when you’re not using it. If you’re mostly looking for high-fidelity audio with streaming app support, you could check out some of the best MP3 players powered by Android from makers like Fiio and Sony Walkman.

How we test

In case you didn't know this, Android Central has been around for ages. After more than a decade of testing phones, we've become experts at judging Android devices. Having a versatile team also helps us ensure our views are well-rounded out and fair, especially with such a diverse team with rich personalities.

Our rigorous testing puts a phone through it all, just to find out how good or bad it really is. Altogether, our team tests hundreds of phones each year. This is why you can rely on us to recommend you the very best Android phones that come with a headphone jack.

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