ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Bluetooth Special Interest Group released the Bluetooth 7 core specification.
- It brings much higher data speeds, capacity, and efficiency to the Bluetooth spectrum.
- Wireless lossless audio and seconds-long firmware downloads are top features.
Bluetooth 7 is here, and each new specification from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) offers a glimpse of what we can expect from our devices in the future. The major feature incorporated into the new core standard is High Data Throughput (HDT), which can enable lossless wireless audio and improved multi-channel spatial audio on more Bluetooth devices.
Also: Apple has a Bluetooth problem, and Android is taking advantage
Bluetooth 7’s standout feature is that it can achieve wireless lossless audio. However, the improvements to the Bluetooth stack architecture — particularly, expanding the Bluetooth spectrum — allow for faster data transfer, improved energy efficiency, more resilient connections, and create more room for devices and their data-intensive applications.
Lossless wireless audio (and better spatial audio)
A major milestone in Bluetooth 7 is the ability to stream lossless audio over a wireless connection. Bluetooth is lossy, requiring data compression that diminishes audio quality. HDT’s faster data transfer and greater wireless data capacity enable it to handle the massive volume of data required to achieve lossless quality.
Also: Your Bose headphones are getting a major Bluetooth upgrade – what to expect
Audiophiles typically avoid wireless headphones for intensive listening due to the necessary data compression, opting for wired headphones that can accommodate larger lossless files. Bluetooth’s innovation here is widely regarded as a major leap in wireless technology.
HDT also promises to standardize spatial audio, with expanded data transfers allowing for multi-channel audio setups. Standardizing this form of audio transmission could mean consumers can expect more affordable brands and products to adopt this premium feature.
1. Faster firmware updates and smartwatch syncing
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Every consumer-friendly feature possible with Bluetooth 7 can be traced back to its ability to accommodate more devices and their ever-expanding data needs. According to a Bluetooth blog post, Bluetooth HDT delivers nearly four times the previous maximum Bluetooth throughput.
Data throughput is the amount of data received, transmitted, and processed over the Bluetooth network. With nearly four times the processing power, HDT can move more data, faster. HDT increases Bluetooth’s maximum supported bitrate to 7.5 Mbps, up from the current 2 Mbps.
Also: Beware of Bluetooth sniffers: How your favorite gadgets could be exposing your data
The result is shorter download times for a device’s firmware update, faster device location when Find My Device is activated, or faster transfer of a large photo album
In the same blog post, Øyvind Strøm, executive vice president of the short-range business unit at Nordic Semiconductor, gives examples of a smartwatch syncing hours’ worth of workout data to your phone in seconds, or a pair of headphones, a smart speaker, or a security camera that can download a firmware update with nearly zero interruption to the user experience.
2. Easier smart home setup and more reliable connections
In a smart home context, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) is the wireless technology that works in the background, connecting your devices. Bluetooth LE is the baseline technology for quick device discovery and connection. The most recent example of this is Apple’s HomeView, which uses Bluetooth LE to discover a nearby, trusted iPhone to unlock that user’s personalized home hub display.
In a smart home, Bluetooth LE works in the background; the less you feel its presence through lags, wait times, and dropouts, the better it’s working. HDT’s goal is to make Bluetooth connectivity frictionless, which is especially valuable when your smart lights, shades, speakers, TVs, refrigerators, and more rely on the technology.
Also: Forget Wi-Fi: Apple is betting on Bluetooth with its new home devices
For example, HDT’s improved data throughput could allow doorbells, cameras, and robot vacuums to quickly offload large amounts of data to your smart home hub. It could also enable near-instantaneous setup of a new device onto your smart home network and firmware updates.
Finally, HDT also addressed network stability and reliability, especially in high-traffic areas such as apartment complexes and dense cities, where a busy network can cause delays and backups. Alongside improvements to Wi-Fi and Thread, a truly seamless smart home is on the horizon.
3. Less lag for gaming accessories
Bluetooth’s Human Interface Device (HID) profile refers to the wireless communication used by peripheral devices, such as mice, keyboards, and game controllers, when connecting to a host device. Smart glasses and controllers connected to XR/VR headsets also use this profile, and their data-intensive computing will benefit greatly from HDT.
Devices using the HID profile can expect HDT to lay the foundation for making cloud gaming more reliable, spatial computing more responsive, and offloading audio/visual data from smart glasses less power-intensive.
Also: Frustrated with your Bluetooth? How multipoint works – and why it sometimes won’t
Additionally, gaming keyboards and mice can expect HDT’s expanded data processing to deliver shorter device communication intervals, reducing latency and lag.
When will Bluetooth 7 devices arrive?
In 2026, we’re starting to see more Bluetooth 6-equipped devices, with Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy Buds On featuring Bluetooth 6.2. Though Bluetooth’s blog post states that the first application of HDT will be for premium wireless audio, many manufacturers are behind, still releasing products with Bluetooth 5.4.
Smartphones, smartwatches, and smart home products tend to move a little faster, with the majority of current Bluetooth 6 products falling into these categories.
The Bluetooth SIG announced Auracast in 2022, and audio manufacturers are now beginning to adopt this technology more widely. Channel Sounding was released with Bluetooth 6 in 2024, with some early adopters releasing compatible products this year; more are expected next year and into 2028. With these adoption cycles in mind, we may be well into the next decade before HDT becomes standard.
