Why I'm not getting a Fairphone*
A couple hours before I was on the edge of getting a Fairphone 5 but I read the specifications and didn't see 3.5 mm audio jack anywhere. So I thought to myself...why? The community has been requesting this for a couple years ago now so why not. They're already making money on the phone, they're really pushing for people to get their wireless headphones? Just add the headphone jack, shouldn't be too hard.
They said they're treating their workers fairly, sourcing from ethical sources, renewable claims, repairability claims, and supporting foss projects (they donated a fp4 to CalyxOS to support development). All of these are amazing, so adding a little headphone jack shouldn't be that hard in the grand scheme of all this.
*Add the headphone jack and I'll be happy to support and get a fp5.
It's a "nice to have", but I'd never rule out buying a phone for it.
Not like people really can these days. Options get even narrower if people start putting in settings they need like good software support and unlockable bootloader. Despite the many options there isn't really a phone that doesn't have some sort of concession to it despite the increasing price points.
My headphones (wired) cost more than a smartphone and I expect my handheld device to be compatible with them. I'll rule out buying models based on this feature.
That's strange, my headphones cost about 300€ and there is no way a smartphone headphone jack can even drive them at a sufficient volume due to their higher impedance.
I would imagine that gets worse on more expensive ones?
It very much depends on the pair of headphones and on the hardware of the phone.
My LG phone is a beast. Sure, it's not quite the same audio power as a headphone amp would give, but the audio quality and convenience is fantastic.
Meze planars cost a couple grand and IIRC they can run without an amp.