As it stands, not sure what I'll do as an updated SE was my last hope that Apple would continue making a phone with a headphone jack, but that was probably a pipe dream to begin with.
And please don't try to sell me on Bluetooth. It works OK 60-70% of the time in my experience, but it's super frustrating when it fails (esp. when trying to help older less tech-savvy relatives) and I often find myself just wanting to be able to plug in a darn cord. Ahh the good 'ol days...
Yep, plus my phone is just one of many devices that I connect headphones to and I can't be bothered to maintain a collection of adapters. Also, did you know that the firmware on the Lightning->3.5mm adapter can crash?
My basic point about Bluetooth audio is usually this:
In the absence of hardware failures, audio cables are almost 100% reliable. In the absence of hardware failures, Bluetooth still suffers from a variety of random issues.
Bluetooth has its place (I find it useful to walk around the house listening to stuff without carrying a device), but it's certainly not - and won't ever be - a replacement for audio cables.
It's decent hardware, a little too large, and with some terrible Samsung-bloatware on it - not ideal, but there are no alternatives.
1. it was small-ish 2. it had a headphone jack
Without those I don't see this as a viable followup product.