Bluetooth Speeds Up 4x

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has formally adopted Bluetooth High Data Throughput (HDT) as an optional feature of the Bluetooth Core 7.0, increasing the maximum supported bit rate of Bluetooth LE from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps. This upgrade represents a nearly four-fold increase in the maximum bit rate.

The first devices supporting Bluetooth HDT are expected to appear sometime in 2027. According to Neville Meijers, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG, Bluetooth HDT brings a new level of performance to Bluetooth technology.

One of the primary applications for Bluetooth HDT will be wireless audio, with the increased bit rate supporting high-resolution audio, spatial audio, and multi-channel surround sound. This will enable new wireless audio experiences without requiring proprietary wireless formats.

However, the benefits of Bluetooth HDT will not be limited to headphones. Smartwatches, for example, will be able to sync more data to a phone without a reduction in battery life, as HDT can transfer more data in less time, requiring the Bluetooth radio to be on for shorter periods. Spatial computing and extended reality devices will also offer more robust experiences without needing a connection to Wi-Fi.

## What it means The adoption of Bluetooth HDT will have significant implications for the future of wireless devices. With faster data transfer speeds, devices will be able to perform tasks more efficiently, leading to improvements in battery life and reliability. This will be particularly beneficial for personal AI devices, which will be able to more efficiently hand off data to be processed by a smartphone, allowing them to be lighter and smaller.

The increased speed will also make tasks such as updating the firmware on a smartwatch or smart home accessories feel faster and more convenient. Overall, the adoption of Bluetooth HDT is a significant step forward for Bluetooth technology and will have a major impact on the development of wireless devices in the future.