Lightning port adaptors for the iPhone 7

Apple’s iPhone 7 may lack a headphone jack, but Oscar Raymundo’s adaptors will let you plug in your headphones

Apple caused a commotion after confirming that the iPhone 7 would only sport a Lightning port. This means that all your old headphones with a 3.5mm plug would have to be hooked up to your iPhone 7 using an adaptor. But which adaptor is right for you? Here are a few of your options.

Apple Lightning to 3.5mm adaptor

Apple saved itself much of the outrage for getting rid of the headphone jack by including a Lightning to 3.5mm adaptor free with every iPhone 7. This adaptor is so lightweight, you’ll hardly notice it hanging out at the end of your headphone cord.

It’s also thin enough that it doesn’t get stuck in your pocket. Best of all, you can replace this adaptor for only £9 (pictured above), which is very affordable by Apple standards. By comparison, the 30-pin to Lightning adaptor is £29, and it had to be purchased separately.

But there are two problems with Apple’s in-box solution. First, it doesn’t have mic and audio control support for third-party headphones, so you can’t use the in-line mic and controls to talk to Siri, take a call, or skip a song. The second issue is that the single input means you can’t charge your iPhone 7 and listen to music at the same time.

Apple iPhone Lightning Dock

Apple’s senior VP of marketing, Phil Schiller, has personally shared a solution to the listen-or-charge dilemma: Getting an iPhone Lightning Dock (£49). This Apple accessory (pictured opposite) lets you charge your iPhone 7 by mounting it on the dock, and then use the spare 3.5mm plug on the back of the dock to listen to your headphones.

Fuze battery case

Thankfully, we are not forced to have to buy one of Apple’s solutions as several third-party accessory-makers have begun selling innovative gadgets to solve this very problem. Take for example the Fuze battery case. Not only does it promise to double the battery life of your iPhone 7, but it also has an integrated 3.5mm audio jack.

Fuze has created a successful Indiegogo campaign (tinyurl.com/ztnt35w) to fund this solution, which is due to ship in December. You can still preorder your case for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus starting at $69 (around £55), which is very reasonable. By comparison, Apple’s Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 7 is £99 – it doesn’t have a headphone jack, but you can listen to wired headphones via the passthrough Lightning port while your phone charges.

Griffin iTrip Clip

This adaptor takes a different approach: using Bluetooth to enable wired headphones with wireless capabilities. And unlike most traditional Lightning adaptors, the iTrip Clip can also be used

built-in mic so you can take calls or talk to Siri. It’s available now for £20 from tinyurl.com/jp264xj.

Plus, the iTrip Clip has another surprising functionality. Hook it up to your car’s stereo system using an AUX cable, and just like that you can use Bluetooth to play music from your phone.

Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar

Belkin was one of the first accessory makers to unveil an adaptor for a iPhone 7, but it’s not really a solution for the lack of headphone jack. Just like its name, the Lightning Audio + Charge Rockstar adaptor is needlessly clunky. It has dual Lightning ports so that you can charge your iPhone and listen to Lightning headphones at the same time.

But it’s missing a 3.5mm jack, so you will still need to have one of the other gadgets above to listen to your old headphones. At £34 (from tinyurl.com/hwwo9x9), this is an expensive solution considering it only addresses part of the problem. Belkin’s adaptor was actually what prompted people to mock the iPhone 7 for needing dongles upon dongles. Remember this?