To listen to music on any iPhone since the age-old iPhone 7, you either need a pair of Bluetooth headphones, a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter (no longer included in the box since 2018) or a pair of wired headphones that will connect to the Lightning port.
It’s maybe not something you see in every store and from every brand, but Lightning headphones do exist, and they allow you to plug a pair of headphones directly into the port on the bottom edge of your iPhone.
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So, why choose Lightning headphones? Lightning headphones do have a special quality; they’re capable of receiving lossless stereo 48kHz digital audio output from Apple devices and sending mono 48kHz digital audio input. They can also draw power from an Apple device (even if the device is asleep).
Apple’s Lightning port can also support headphones with integrated digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) and amplifiers, so audio travelling through the Lightning port will pass into the headphones digitally, thus avoiding typical analogue signal interferences you get with other headphones. That means, from a personal headphones point-of-view, it’s the way to get the highest quality audio delivered from your iPhone.
We’ve picked some of the best pairs of Lightning headphones available now, comprising over-ear and in-ear models, at a variety of price points.
What are the top Lightning headphones?
Belkin SoundForm Audeze LCD i3Libratone Q-Adapt in-earPioneer Rayz PlusSennheiser Ambeo Sport