Bluetooth Core 7.0 Adds High Data Throughput, Boosting LE Speeds to 7.5 Mbps

The organization that manages the Bluetooth wireless standard has officially approved a major speed upgrade. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced on Wednesday that Bluetooth High Data Throughput, or HDT, is now a formal, optional feature of Bluetooth Core 7.0.

The change raises the maximum supported bit rate of Bluetooth LE from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps, an increase of nearly four times. The Bluetooth SIG had been previewing the upgrade over the past year, and says it will enable higher resolution audio streaming along with gains in battery life and reliability.

Wireless audio will once again be the primary use case for the new capability. The higher bit rate can handle high-resolution audio as well as newer listening experiences, including spatial audio and multi-channel surround sound, all without relying on proprietary wireless formats.

The first devices supporting Bluetooth HDT are expected to arrive sometime in 2027, according to the group.

The benefits are not limited to headphones. Smartwatches, for example, could sync larger amounts of training, health, and fitness data to a phone without sacrificing battery life. Because HDT moves more data in less time, the Bluetooth radio needs to stay active for shorter periods.

Spatial computing and extended reality devices could also deliver more capable experiences without requiring a Wi-Fi connection. The Bluetooth SIG also pointed to the growing category of personal AI devices, which could hand off data to a smartphone for processing more efficiently, allowing the gadgets themselves to be built lighter and smaller.

Even routine maintenance tasks stand to improve. Firmware updates on smartwatches and smart home accessories could feel noticeably faster, turning a chore people often postpone into one that can be done on the spot.

"Bluetooth HDT brings a new level of performance to Bluetooth technology, expanding the role it can play across consumer, commercial, and industrial markets and creating a powerful foundation for the next generation of wireless innovation," said Neville Meijers, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG.

"As the world's most widely used wireless standard, Bluetooth technology has continually evolved to meet the growing demands of an increasingly connected world," Meijers added.