Bluetooth 7.0 approved – transfer speeds to quadruple

The Bluetooth SIG has officially approved the Bluetooth 7.0 specification.

One of its key new features is the optional High Data Throughput (HDT) technology, which nearly quadruples Bluetooth LE’s maximum physical-layer speed, from 2 to 7.5 Mbps. When transmitting the same amount of data, the radio module can spend less time in active mode and use less power.

The higher throughput will make it possible to transmit lossless and high-resolution audio, and expand support for multichannel and spatial audio. HDT will also help smart glasses, AI-powered gadgets and smartwatches exchange large amounts of data faster.

HDT requires hardware support from the radio module. Devices without it won’t get the feature through a firmware update. The Bluetooth SIG expects standardized support for HDT-based wireless lossless audio to arrive in 2027. The organization did not say when the first smartphones and headphones with the feature will be released.