The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has formally adopted Bluetooth High Data Throughput (HDT) as an optional feature of the Bluetooth Core 7.0. This upgrade, which the Bluetooth SIG has been previewing over the past year, increases the maximum supported bit rate of Bluetooth LE from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps.
The primary application for Bluetooth HDT will be for wireless audio, with the first devices supporting the new feature expected to appear sometime in 2027. The increased bit rate will support high-resolution audio and new wireless audio experiences, such as multi-channel surround sound and spatial audio, without requiring proprietary wireless formats. The technology is also expected to improve reliability and battery life.
Beyond headphones, Bluetooth HDT will benefit various other wireless devices. Smartwatches could sync more fitness, health, and training data to a phone without reducing battery life because HDT can transfer more data in less time, allowing the Bluetooth radio to be on for shorter periods.
The technology could also offer more robust experiences for extended reality and spatial computing devices without requiring a Wi-Fi connection. Additionally, HDT will benefit personal AI devices by allowing them to more efficiently hand off data to be processed by a smartphone, potentially allowing those devices to be smaller and lighter. The SIG notes that even firmware updates for smart home accessories or smartwatches could become faster.
“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.”
