iLoungeiLounge
  • News
    • Apple
      • AirPods Pro
      • AirPlay
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • iCloud
      • iTunes
      • HealthKit
      • HomeKit
      • HomePod
      • iOS 13
      • Apple Pay
      • Apple TV
      • Siri
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
      • CES
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Font ResizerAa
iLoungeiLounge
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Apple
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Follow US

Reviews

Reviews

Review: Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPhone

Last updated: May 15, 2021 5:32 pm UTC
By Jeremy Horwitz
Review: Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPhone

If you haven’t read about it elsewhere on iLounge or experienced it for yourself, here’s the news flash: Apple’s iPhone has a recessed headphone port, sunk several millimeters below the rest of its metal top surface. Consequently, if you own pre-iPhone earphones made by any company except Apple, there’s a very good chance that they won’t physically connect to the iPhone, so you’ll have two options: buy new earphones, or buy an adapter.

Advertisements

Review: Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPhone

Since its release in late June, we’ve tested a total of five different headphone adapters for iPhone: Griffin’s Headphone Adapter for iPhone ($10), Belkin’s Headphone Adapter for iPhone ($11), Shure’s Music Phone Adatper MPA-3c ($40), Monster Cable’s iSplitter 200 Headphone Jack Splitter ($20, iLounge rating: B+), and Griffin’s SmartShare Headphone Splitter ($15, iLounge rating: A-). All of these accessories fit iPhone’s headphone port and enable you to connect your favorite old earphones without a hassle.

 

Review: Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPhone

From there, they differ. Belkin’s Headphone Adapter is matte dark gray and semi-rigid, standing straight out of your iPhone’s headphone port unless you push to flex its center.

Advertisements

Griffin’s Headphone Adapter comes in glossy white or black with gray accents, and has a length of fully flexible matching cable in its center. The Griffin versions bend slightly under their own weight, and loosely when you connect a pair of earphones to their tops. Both can be used with iPhone regardless of whether it’s inside or outside of a case.

 

Review: Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPhone

SmartShare and iSplitter 200, which were reviewed on iLounge prior to their iPhone-fitting redesigns, and re-reviewed for iPhone, accomplish the same goal with two twists. They actually transform iPhone’s single headphone port into a double headphone port for two-person simultaneous listening, and give each user a separate physical volume control.

Advertisements

Other than the $5 difference in price, the only major difference between SmartShare and iSplitter 200 is that Monster reshaped the prior version’s bottom to fit iPhone, and Griffin simply added a Headphone Adapter to its prior SmartShare package. Consequently, SmartShare gives iPhone users two ways to use their old earphones, a great deal for the same $15 price Griffin used to charge just for the SmartShare splitter alone.

 

Review: Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPhone

As between the Griffin and Belkin headphone adapters, we’d give a slight edge to Griffin’s design. Though only a dollar less expensive, and still not especially well-priced as a $10 accessory for something so simple, its flexible center felt better with our earphones than the more rigid Belkin design. We preferred Belkin’s thinner top connector, but not enough to offset the adapter’s center.

Advertisements

Latest News
The AirPods Pro 2 is $80 Off
The AirPods Pro 2 is $80 Off
1 Min Read
tvOS 26 Apple Music Sing Adds iPhone Karaoke Feature
tvOS 26 Apple Music Sing Adds iPhone Karaoke Feature
1 Min Read
Photos Tabs to Make a Comeback in iOS 26
Photos Tabs to Make a Comeback in iOS 26
1 Min Read
tvOS 26 Users to Have Automatic Sign-In for Apps
tvOS 26 Users to Have Automatic Sign-In for Apps
1 Min Read
The Beats Pill is $50 Off
The Beats Pill is $50 Off
1 Min Read
iOS 26 Users Will Have Storage Reserve Option for Software Updates
App Store Developers May Soon Offer Redemption Codes on iOS
1 Min Read
Apple Silicon Support Added to Steam Client Beta
Apple Silicon Support Added to Steam Client Beta
1 Min Read
M2 Mac Mini Gets Repair Program
M2 Mac Mini Gets Repair Program
1 Min Read
The Powerbeats Pro 2 is $50 Off
The Powerbeats Pro 2 is $50 Off
1 Min Read
Apple Puts iPhone XS on Vintage List
Apple Puts iPhone XS on Vintage List
1 Min Read
iOS 26 Users Will Have Storage Reserve Option for Software Updates
iOS 26 Users Will Have Storage Reserve Option for Software Updates
1 Min Read
iOS 26 to Bring eSIM Android Transfer Support
iOS 26 to Bring eSIM Android Transfer Support
1 Min Read

iLounge logo

iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
iLounge © 2001 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.
  • Contact Us
  • Submit News
  • About Us
  • Forums
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?