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Hear the Future: Bluetooth 6 Arrives for Audio
24 Dec
Summary
- Bluetooth 6 promises faster device pairing and improved multipoint connections.
- New features in Bluetooth 6 aim to reduce audio/video latency for gaming.
- Bluetooth Channel Sounding may replace UWB chips for precise device tracking.
Smartphones are rapidly adopting Bluetooth 6, but the audio device market lags, with many headphones and earbuds still utilizing Bluetooth 5.3 or 5.4. This new standard, officially released in November, brings significant improvements to device pairing, aiming for faster and more stable connections, particularly benefiting multipoint functionality.
Bluetooth 6 also tackles audio latency issues, enhancing the Isochronous Adaptation Layer (ISOAL) for real-time audio transmission. This advancement is a boon for mobile gamers and AR/VR users, potentially eliminating the need for wired connections to achieve unnoticeable latency. Furthermore, the introduction of Bluetooth Channel Sounding offers precise device location tracking, a feature previously reliant on more expensive Ultra-Wideband (UWB) chips.
While devices like the Google Pixel 10 and Apple iPhone 17 are equipped with Bluetooth 6, consumers will likely need to wait until 2026 for widespread headphone and earbud adoption. Google's recent expansion of Bluetooth Auracast support to various devices in the US positions Android users as early adopters of these evolving wireless technologies.
