Advantages of USB/lightning audio over 3.5mm aux

Now lemme explain
Why audio via lightning / USB type C is better than aux

Source - yt.com/MKBHD

So Media is stored in phone as digital ones and zeros. But your earphones need analogue signal. That is varying electric current. This is done by DAC (digital to analog convertor) inside a phone. Now these are very tiny

But if you use lightning connector. The earpods can use external DAC. That is inside the earphones, which gives you better dynamic range more powerful sound (specially in high impedance earphones) that require more power to amp up

Plus you can also have RGB lighting because these earphones can draw power from connector

Disadvantages : you can't charge your phone while listening to music

Solution : manufacturers can implement to route audio via USB (most android flagships can) and they can use the marketing techniques to advertise that their device is capable to use both aux and audio via USB. Apple just wanted to get rid of it so as to save as much space and make the phone thinner (like it wasn't already thin)

I hope Samsung doesn't follows Apple's footsteps as both these manufacturers influence most other smartphones.