You might not realize it, but your TV has many more ports than just HDMI ports. On my budget-friendly Fire TV, there’s a USB port, an Ethernet port, four HDMI ports, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack. Headphone jacks have been an interesting case over the past several years as many people have been lamenting their loss, but it doesn’t feel like we’ve been losing them. There was a lot of fuss over phones not having them anymore, but it doesn’t seem hard for me to find one at any given time. Many Motorola phones still include the port, TVs have it, and even some Roku remotes have them.
It seems like this port’s demise was overblown. Now, it’s important to note that my Pixel 9a doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, so I had to get an adapter that lets me plug in headphones to my USB-C port, but it’s such a small dongle that it doesn’t get in the way of anything. This only cost about $10, so it’s not like it broke the bank by any means.
I’ll admit that I was surprised to see this port still included on so many devices, but that’s because people have been talking about its disappearance. As it turns out, these ports are still everywhere, and it’s just phones that have largely gotten rid of it, although some brands have kept them around.
Quiz
LG Smart TVs
Trivia Challenge
From OLED breakthroughs to webOS wizardry — how well do you really know LG’s television legacy?
webOSOLEDHistoryFeaturesTechnology
In what year did LG Electronics first launch its Smart TV platform under the ‘LG Smart TV’ branding?
Correct! LG officially launched its Smart TV lineup in 2011, bringing internet connectivity and app access to its televisions. This was part of a broader industry push to turn TVs into connected entertainment hubs.
Not quite — LG introduced its Smart TV platform in 2011. While connected TV concepts existed earlier, 2011 was the year LG formalized and branded the experience, coinciding with a wave of smart TV launches across the industry.
LG acquired the webOS operating system from which company to power its Smart TVs?
Correct! LG acquired webOS from HP in 2013, which had originally obtained it through its purchase of Palm in 2010. LG repurposed the mobile OS into a smart TV platform, debuting it on TVs at CES 2014.
The correct answer is HP, which inherited webOS through its 2010 acquisition of Palm. LG bought the platform from HP in 2013 and transformed it from a struggling mobile OS into the backbone of its Smart TV ecosystem.
LG became the first company to mass-produce large-screen OLED TVs for consumers. What screen size did their landmark 2013 model feature?
Correct! LG’s groundbreaking 55-inch OLED TV, the 55EM9600, made history as the first commercially available large-screen OLED television. Despite its eye-watering price tag of around $15,000, it marked a turning point for display technology.
The correct size was 55 inches — LG’s 55EM9600 launched as the world’s first mass-produced large-screen OLED TV. It was an engineering marvel at the time, though its steep price kept it out of most living rooms initially.
What is the name of LG’s AI-powered voice assistant integrated into its Smart TVs?
Correct! LG’s AI platform is called ThinQ AI, which powers voice commands, smart home integration, and personalized content recommendations across LG’s Smart TV lineup. LG TVs also support third-party assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
The answer is ThinQ AI — LG’s proprietary artificial intelligence platform that underpins voice control and smart home features on its TVs. ThinQ also connects LG’s broader ecosystem of home appliances under one unified AI umbrella.
LG’s QNED TV technology combines quantum dot filters with which other display enhancement technology?
Correct! LG’s QNED technology combines quantum dot and NanoCell filter layers with a Mini LED backlight system, allowing for more precise local dimming zones and improved contrast compared to traditional LED LCD sets.
The right answer is Mini LED backlighting. LG’s QNED TVs layer quantum dot and NanoCell technologies on top of a Mini LED backlight, creating a panel that punches above its weight in contrast and color accuracy compared to standard LCD displays.
Which unique hardware accessory, shaped like a magic wand, does LG provide to navigate webOS on its Smart TVs?
Correct! The Magic Remote is LG’s iconic gyroscopic remote control that lets users point and click on screen like a mouse. It also supports voice commands and scroll wheel input, making webOS navigation feel fluid and intuitive.
It’s called the Magic Remote — LG’s signature motion-sensing remote that uses a gyroscope to let users point at the screen and select items like a cursor. It’s been a hallmark of the LG Smart TV experience for over a decade.
Before the LG name existed, the company was formed from the merger of two South Korean firms. Which two companies merged to create LG?
Correct! LG stands for Lucky Goldstar — the result of a merger between Lucky (a chemicals company) and Goldstar (an electronics firm). The company rebranded to LG in 1995 as part of its push to become a globally recognized consumer electronics brand.
The answer is Lucky and Goldstar. LG is literally an abbreviation of those two company names, and the brand adopted its current identity in 1995. Goldstar was already known for producing televisions before the rebrand elevated LG to global prominence.
LG’s G-series OLED TVs use a special panel mounting design that places the TV flush against a wall with virtually no gap. What is this feature called?
Correct! LG’s Zero Gap Wall Mount system allows the G-series OLED Evo TVs to sit just millimeters from the wall, giving them an art-gallery aesthetic when mounted. The design eliminates unsightly gaps and cable clutter for a sleek, built-in look.
The correct term is Zero Gap Wall Mount, exclusive to LG’s G-series OLED lineup. The innovative mount lets the TV sit almost perfectly flush against the wall, mimicking the look of a framed painting — a concept LG calls its Gallery series design philosophy.
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The headphone jack lives on, just mostly on things that aren’t phones
It is still useful
While your earbuds can’t be used with your iPhone very easily anymore, that doesn’t mean it’s the case for everything else. What you might not realize is that this port is useful for a lot more than just earbuds, and I used my TV’s port to hook up a small stereo receiver. When I set up my Fire TV, I wanted to hook up a pair of speakers, and I wasn’t ready to commit to buying a second audio receiver, so I got a cheap stereo one from Amazon. This plugged directly into the headphone jack on the TV, which was great news because this receiver didn’t have HDMI connectivity. I have since upgraded to a used 7.1 receiver I found at a thrift store, but this port and the older receiver served me well for a while.
My computer monitor has a 3.5mm port on it as well, and when I used earbuds, I plugged into that port. I have an old Bluetooth headset, but years of wear and tear have done damage to its battery life, so I thought it was easier to rely on something without a battery. Unfortunately, I took these earbuds on a hiking trip and lost one of the membranes on the trail somewhere, so they don’t fit snugly in my ear anymore. I eventually upgraded to a pair of Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 and grabbed a USB Bluetooth dongle, so it’s not an issue anymore.
The point is that not only is this port not obsolete, but it’s actually included on a fair number of things still. I don’t think you should go out of your way to find a phone or TV with these ports, but just know they’re out there. I’ve largely moved on from 3.5mm jacks, mostly because I don’t need them anymore, but I’m glad that my TV had one for when I needed it. For the most part, I’ve been going wireless where I can because I’ve found that Bluetooth is more than enough for me. Then again, I like it when there are options for everyone, so I don’t see any reason that this port should be ditched in the future.
Your TV has plenty of useful ports that you aren’t using
Much more than HDMI
I didn’t think much about my TV’s ports until I wanted to get a little more out of my TV. Not only did I discover that my HDMI ports aren’t all the same, but I learned there’s a lot more going on back there than I initially thought. For example, a lot of people use the Ethernet port to ensure a stable connection, but I wouldn’t recommend that for people looking for speed.
Perhaps even more underrated than the 3.5mm headphone jack is your TV’s USB port. No, you won’t be using it to charge your phone, but you can easily plug in a hard drive and watch movies you have downloaded to it if you’d like. Another thing you can use the port for is for plugging in bias lighting, so don’t sleep on that port. Your TV comes with a lot more value than you’d think, and with the price of all technology being on the rise, it’s cool to find out that your existing tech has more versatility than you first thought. Bias lighting is a very cheap upgrade that can really enhance movie nights if you want to go that route.
