I just this weekend """upgraded""" from an S9+ to an S24+, losing the 3.5mm jack, but not without the exact sentiment of the author. I looked at every possible option to retain my jack, but ultimately found myself forced into either a new Samsung or Pixel due to their commitment to an actually reasonable-ish update lifetime promise of 7-ish years. (I'd really expect 10 at this point, but c'est la vie). I upgraded ONLY because I'm uncomfortable not having security updates/patches. Otherwise, frankly, I can't even tell the difference. Upon quick tests, I think I even prefer the camera on my S9+.

I absolutely, passionately hate Bluetooth. I hate not being able to share the jack in the car. I hate spotty connections. I hate needing a dongle. I hate the subtle loss of high end frequency content's quality. I hate the pain in the ass of pairing. 3.5mm had its share of problems, but this was a cartel making a cash grab and I am absolutely livid I have to play the game.

I've ran a poll in a lot of the tech group chat's I'm in multiple times. Over 40%, each time, is willing to pay $50 more to have the jack back. The manufactures know this, but know it pales in comparison to the profit of some new bluetooth headphones.

We don't need monoplolies to negatively impact tech, just a few big players to intentionally normalize boning their own customers. We need consumer protection laws that reflect that normal.