ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has released the Bluetooth 7 Core Specification.
- It brings much higher data speed, 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 main feature integrated 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
The standout feature of Bluetooth 7 is that it can achieve wireless lossless audio. However, improvements to the Bluetooth stack architecture – especially the expansion of the Bluetooth spectrum – allow faster data transfer, improved energy efficiency, more resilient connections, and create more space 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 reduces audio quality. HDT’s faster data transmission 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 big Bluetooth upgrade – what to expect
Audiophiles typically avoid wireless headphones for intensive listening due to the necessary data compression, opting for wired headphones that record larger lossless files. The innovation of Bluetooth here is generally considered a great leap in wireless technology.
HDT also promises to standardize spatial audio, with extended data transmissions that allow multi-channel audio setups. Standardization of this form of audio transmission could mean that consumers can expect more affordable brands and products to adopt this premium feature.
1. Faster firmware updates and smartwatch synchronization
Nina Raemont/ZDNETEvery 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 provides almost four times the previous maximum Bluetooth throughput.
Data transmission 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 the maximum supported bit rate of Bluetooth to 7.5 Mbps, up from the current 2 Mbps.
Also: Beware of Bluetooth sniffers: How your favorite gadgets can expose your data
The result is shorter download times for a device’s firmware update, faster device location when Find My Device is enabled, or faster transfer of a large photo album via Android’s QuickShare or Apple’s AirDrop.
In the same blog post, Øyvind Strøm, Executive Vice President of the Short Term Business Unit at Nordic Semiconductor, gives examples of a smartwatch that syncs 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 almost 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 and connects your devices. Bluetooth LE is the basic technology for fast device discovery and connection. The latest example of this is Apple’s HomeView, which uses Bluetooth LE to detect 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 works. HDT’s goal is to make Bluetooth connectivity frictionless, which is especially valuable if 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 usage could allow doorbells, cameras and robotic vacuum cleaners to quickly upload large amounts of data to your smart home hub. It could also enable almost instantaneous setup of a new device on 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 space for gaming accessories
The Bluetooth Human Interface Device (HID) profile refers to the wireless communication used by peripherals 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 greatly benefits from HDT.
Devices using the HID profile can expect HDT to lay the groundwork for making cloud gaming more reliable, spatial computing more responsive, and audio/visual data from smart glasses less power-intensive to load.
Also: Frustrated with your Bluetooth? How multipoint works – and why it sometimes won’t
Additionally, gaming keyboards and mice can expect HDT’s advanced data processing to deliver shorter device communication intervals, reducing latency and lag.
When will Bluetooth 7 devices arrive?
In 2026, we’ll start to see more Bluetooth 6-equipped devices, with Samsung recently announcing Galaxy Buds On with Bluetooth 6.2. Although the Bluetooth blog post says that the first application of HDT will be for premium wireless audio, many manufacturers are behind, still products with Bluetooth 5.4.
Smartphones, smartwatches and smart home products tend to move a bit 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 starting 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.
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