The group in charge of Bluetooth development has announced that the 5 specification of the technology is going to be unveiled next week, on the 16 June. Shortly afterwards, it should start finding its way into your phones, laptops and car stereos.
We'll have to wait until the launch event to get the full rundown on what Bluetooth 5 can do, but some details of the new wireless transmission standard have already leaked out.
Here's 5 things you need to know about the new technology.
1. It's going to be faster
No surprises here, Bluetooth 5 will be twice as fast as Bluetooth 4.2 LE, say its developers - that means a maximum throughput of 2Mbps by our quick maths. You're not likely to get up to those speeds out in the real world but it should still be a significant speed jump.
2. It's going to work from further away
The other major improvement is a quadrupling of the range from earlier versions, so theoretically you could be 1000+ feet (300+ metres) or so away from your Bluetooth speaker and still beam a song to it. The exact distance limits depend on the hardware you're using.
3. It will be more 'location aware'
Bluetooth 5 is going to add extra navigational features so the technology can be more easily used in indoor beacons and similar location-aware devices - basically enabling you to use Bluetooth technology to find your way around a shopping centre, for example.
4. It's ready for the Internet of Things
The IoT buzz isn't going away and nor is Bluetooth - version 5 of the standard will include various under-the-hood tweaks and optimisations to provide better performance and draw less power when installed in smart home kit dotted around the home.
5. You might need new devices
Unlike some Bluetooth upgrades, this one might require new chips (although old kit will work with Bluetooth 5, you won't get the extra performance and features). Get ready for the flagship phones of 2017 to all come with Bluetooth 5 installed inside.
- Check out the 10 best Bluetooth speakers available today
Here's our full rumour round-up for the upcoming iPhone 7:
Bluetooth headphones are all the rage now, after spending the better part of a decade as a niche restricted to tech enthusiasts. Now you can find an incredible variety of Bluetooth headphones on electronic store shelves, and even more online. But as with almost all product categories, not every set of wireless headphones is created equal.
We’re going to talk about three Bluetooth technologies that relate to exactly how good your Bluetooth headset sounds, and what you’re looking for in a new pair. A2DP is the basic Bluetooth stereo streaming protocol, aptX is an advanced codec specifically designed for Bluetooth, and Apple’s W1 chip system is proprietary and only works with Apple hardware.
A2DP: The Default
A2DP stands for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, which means—well it doesn’t mean a whole lot in the context of something that’s already streaming audio. But as one of the oldest parts of the combined Bluetooth specification, A2DP is more or less the default for streaming audio over Bluetooth. Any Bluetooth audio product you purchase—headphones, speakers, mobile phones, laptops—will support A2DP at the very least, whether or not it can also work with aptX.
The A2DP standard operates in stereo and supports most of the standard audio compression codecs. The recommended sub-band coding (SBC) codec supports up to 345 kilobits per second at 48 kilohertz. That’s approximately one third the quality of standard CD audio—roughly the equivalent of a high-quality MP3 recording. Due to high “lossy” compression in the SBC codec, the reality of the audio quality is considerably lower, somewhere in the range of 256kbit/s.
My pc wont download anything. The system also supports other popular methods of encoding and compressing audio, like MP3 itself. If the audio source is already compressed in a format like MP3, AAC, or ATRAC, then it doesn’t need to be re-encoded in SBC in order to be broadcast from the source device. With A2DP’s maximum audio bandwidth of 728kbit/s, it’s at least possible to start approaching what we’d call “high-quality audio” with the basic standard alone. (CD quality audio, uncompressed, is approximately 1400kbit/s.)
Unfortunately, very few hardware makers seem to be actually using this capability, and most A2DP-only devices are re-encoding audio to SBC and de-encoding on the receiver end. This makes the whole process more complicated, resulting in poorer audio quality.
aptX: The Upgrade
AptX is also a compression standard, like SBC or MP3. But it’s an altogether better one, and one that’s designed to work within the limited bandwidth and low power available to Bluetooth devices. CSR, the developer that created aptX, says that it uses a proprietary compression method that preserves more of the audio’s full range of frequency while simultaneously “squeezing” it down to fit in the limited data pipe that A2DP offers.
In layman’s terms: think of the A2DP profile as a McDonald’s double quarter-pounder hamburger, and aptX as the “special sauce” that makes that burger a Big Mac.
The company claims that this advanced compression results in “CD-like” sound quality, and while that might be a bit embellished, a full aptX system does sound dramatically better than most A2DP-only systems. The codec is also faster to encode and decode, resulting in less of a gap between the screen and the speakers when watching a video with Bluetooth audio enabled. AptX HD is an even higher-quality standard, with 24-bit/48kHz audio, and streaming at a slightly higher bitrate.
Unfortunately, aptX requires the codec to be supported by both the broadcasting device and the receiver. If your headphones or speakers don’t support aptX, they’ll default back to A2DP alone, resulting in the lower level of Bluetooth sound quality with which you already may be frustrated.
Apple’s AirPods and W1 Chip: The Other One
What about the iPhone? Does it support aptX, and do those fancy wireless AirPod headphones use it? Nope. While the AirPods do use Bluetooth (not AirPlay, which is more of a Chromecast-type Wi-Fi audio protocol), they use a proprietary W1 Bluetooth chip that’s fully supported by only Apple devices running iOS 10.2 or Sierra 10.12 (or later). This custom-made connection allows for more high-fidelity listening than standard A2DP (and a near-instant automatic connection), but it isn’t compatible with aptX, and connecting your iPhone to an aptX-capable headset or speaker will still use the lower-fidelity A2DP.
There are other headphones that are compatible with the proprietary W1-enhanced Bluetooth standard: Beats. (Apple bought the Beats brand back in 2014.) And both the AirPods and W1-enabled Bluetooth Beats headphones can be connected to regular, non-iPhone audio sources. But new Beats products don’t use aptX either, and since Apple doesn’t seem interested in licensing its W1 technology like Qualcomm does with aptX, the AirPods or Beats headphones are basically your only choice for high-quality wireless audio on iOS.
Note: You can use AirPods or Beats with non-Apple devices, or with Apple devices running older versions of iOS or Sierra. Those devices just won’t be able to take full advantage of the W1 chip. They will connect just fine over regular Bluetooth, and will default to using A2DP.
How Do You Know You’re Getting aptX?
First, check your current device, which is probably your phone. Most newer phones sold over the last few years include this capability, especially those with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. High-end phones from Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, Huawei, and OnePlus all support aptX Bluetooth streaming. Apple’s iPhone is a the notable exception.
Next, make sure your receiving hardware—your speaker, car stereo, or headphones—also supports aptX. This is more rare, and you’ll want to specifically check the specification sheet to see if aptX is listed. This used to be restricted to only the most expensive models, but lately they’ve come down in price, and you can generally find aptX support on a wide range of designs. Everything from a $400 pair of Sennheiser noise-cancelling, around-the-ear cans to a $26 set of budget Aukey earbuds can handle the aptX codec. Look specifically for aptX HD support for even better audio.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to determine whether the actual audio you’re playing on your device also supports aptX streaming. Phone manufacturers in particular seem bad at informing the user of the codec or bitrate that’s actually being used when delivering audio. Once you’ve ensured that both your player device and your audio device are compatible, you’ll usually have to (ahem) play it by ear.
Image source: Sony, Amazon, Samsung, Apple
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Modern smartphones and other devices, from the iPhone 8 and iPhone X to the Samsung Galaxy S8, advertise support for “Bluetooth 5.0” on their specifications list. Here’s what’s new in the latest and greatest version of Bluetooth.
What is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth 5.0 is the latest version of the Bluetooth wireless communication standard. It’s commonly used for wireless headphones and other audio hardware, as well as wireless keyboards, mice, and game controllers. Bluetooth is also used for communication between various smart home and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
A new version of the Bluetooth standard means various improvements, but only when used with compatible peripherals. In other words, you won’t see any immediate benefit from upgrading to a phone with Bluetooth 5.0 if all your Bluetooth accessories were designed for an older version of Bluetooth. Bluetooth is backwards compatible, however, so you can continue using your existing Bluetooth 4.2 and older devices with a Bluetooth 5.0 phone. And, when you buy new Bluetooth 5.0-enabled peripherals, they’ll work better thanks to your Bluetooth 5.0 phone.
Bluetooth Low Energy for Wireless Headphones (and More)
Importantly, all the improvements being made to Bluetooth are to Bluetooth Low Energy specification, which was introduced back with Bluetooth 4.0, and not to the classic Bluetooth radio that uses more power. Bluetooth Low Energy is designed to reduce the energy usage of Bluetooth peripherals. It was originally used for wearables, beacons, and other low-power devices, but had some serious restrictions.
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For example, wireless headphones couldn’t communicate over Bluetooth Low Energy, so they had to use the more power-hungry Bluetooth classic standard instead. With Bluetooth 5.0, all audio devices communicate over Bluetooth Low Energy, which means reduced power usage and longer battery life. Many more types of devices will be able to communicate over Bluetooth Low Energy in the future.
![Bluetooth 5.0 and 4.2 evaluation Bluetooth 5.0 and 4.2 evaluation](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123715347/205545877.jpg)
Notably, Apple’s AirPods don’t use Bluetooth 5.0. They use Bluetooth 4.2 and the special Apple W1 chip for an improved connection. On Android, Bluetooth 5.0 should help make Bluetooth headphones something you’d want to use.
Dual Audio
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Bluetooth 5.0 also enables a cool new feature that allows you to play audio on two connected devices at the same time. In other words, you could have two pairs of wireless headphones connected to your phone, and them stream audio to both of them at once, all via standard Bluetooth. Or you could play audio on two different speakers in different rooms. You could even stream two different audio sources to two different audio devices at the same time, so two people could be listening to two different pieces of music, but streaming from the same phone.
This feature is known as “Dual Audio” on the Samsung Galaxy S8. Just connect two Bluetooth audio devices to your phone, turn on the Dual Audio feature, and you’re ready to go. However, this shouldn’t be a Samsung-only feature. It’s enabled by Bluetooth 5.0 and will hopefully appear on other manufacturers’ devices, too.
More Speed, Distance, and Throughput
Bluetooth 5.0’s primary benefits are improved speed and greater range. In other words, it’s faster and can operate over greater distances than older versions of Bluetooth.
The official Bluetooth marketing material from the Bluetooth standard organization advertises that Bluetooth 5.0 has four times the range, two times the speed, and eight times the broadcasting message capacity of older versions of Bluetooth. Again, these improvements apply to Bluetooth Low Energy, ensuring devices can take advantage of them while saving power.
With Bluetooth 5.0, devices can use data transfer speeds of up to 2 Mbps, which is double what Bluetooth 4.2 supports. Devices can also communicate over distances of up to 800 feet (or 240 meters), which is four times the 200 feet (or 60 meters) allowed by Bluetooth 4.2. However, walls and other obstacles will weaken the signal, as they do with Wi-Fi.
RELATED:What’s the Difference Between Bluetooth A2DP and aptX?
The aptX compression standard already promises CD quality audio over lower 1 Mbps speeds, so 2 Mbps speeds should enable even better wireless audio quality.
Technically, devices can actually choose between more speed or a longer range. That “two times the speed” benefit is helpful when operating at short range and sending data back and forth. The increased range would be optimal for Bluetooth beacons and other devices that only need to send a small amount of data or can send the data slowly, but want to communicate at greater distances. Both are low energy.
Devices can choose which makes the most sense. For example, wireless headphones could use the increased speed for high bitrate streaming audio, while wireless sensors and smarthome devices that just need to report their status information could choose the increased distance so they can communicate at longer distances. And, because they can use Bluetooth Low Energy and still get these benefits, they can operate on battery power for much longer than they would with the more power-hungry classic Bluetooth standard.
If you’re interested in the technical details, you can view the official Bluetooth 5.0 specifications online. Android Authority also has a good technical look at how exactly Bluetooth 5.0 is different from Bluetooth 4.2.
When Will You Get It?
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You can get devices that support Bluetooth 5.0 today, like the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S8, and future Android phones. You’ll also need Bluetooth 5.0 peripherals, however. They aren’t widespread yet, but many manufacturers are promising to release Bluetooth 5.0 devices in 2018.
Because Bluetooth is backwards compatible, your Bluetooth 5.0 and older Bluetooth devices will work together. It’s a bit like upgrading to a new, faster Wi-Fi standard. Even after you get a new router that supports faster Wi-Fi, you have to upgrade all your other devices, too. But your older Wi-Fi-enabled devices can still connect to your new router, just at a slower speed than the router supports.
If you can get your hands on an Android phone with Bluetooth 5.0 and Bluetooth 5.0 headphones, you’ll likely have a much better wireless audio experience than you would with the older Bluetooth standard.
iPhone users can get a good experience with Apple’s own AirPods or Beats headphones thanks to the W1 chip, but solid Bluetooth audio is easier to get on Android now, too. Bluetooth 5.0 should even improve wireless headphones on the iPhone if you choose to go for third-party Bluetooth 5.0 headphones instead of Apple headphones with a W1 chip.
We don’t recommend upgrading every last little thing, however. Even if you have a Bluetooth 5.0-enabled laptop, for example, upgrading to a Bluetooth 5.0-enabled mouse probably won’t be a big improvement. But, as support for Bluetooth 5.0 finds its way into every new Bluetooth device, Bluetooth peripherals will get better and Bluetooth will become more reliable and power-efficient.
Image Credit: foxaon1987/Shutterstock.com, De Repente/Shutterstock.com, Torok Tihamer/Shutterstock.com
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![Bluetooth Bluetooth](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123715347/680233730.jpg)
The group in charge of Bluetooth development has announced that the 5 specification of the technology is going to be unveiled next week, on the 16 June. Shortly afterwards, it should start finding its way into your phones, laptops and car stereos.
We'll have to wait until the launch event to get the full rundown on what Bluetooth 5 can do, but some details of the new wireless transmission standard have already leaked out.
Here's 5 things you need to know about the new technology.
1. It's going to be faster
No surprises here, Bluetooth 5 will be twice as fast as Bluetooth 4.2 LE, say its developers - that means a maximum throughput of 2Mbps by our quick maths. You're not likely to get up to those speeds out in the real world but it should still be a significant speed jump.
2. It's going to work from further away
The other major improvement is a quadrupling of the range from earlier versions, so theoretically you could be 1000+ feet (300+ metres) or so away from your Bluetooth speaker and still beam a song to it. The exact distance limits depend on the hardware you're using.
3. It will be more 'location aware'
Bluetooth 5 is going to add extra navigational features so the technology can be more easily used in indoor beacons and similar location-aware devices - basically enabling you to use Bluetooth technology to find your way around a shopping centre, for example.
To my frustration, the problem is still present.Any other solution I've found is simply a slight variant on what I've already tried. Headphones and tv speakers at the same time. This wouldn't be a problem, but I live with my family and work nights, and I can't be waking people up with audio from my machine.Any suggestions?EDIT: New symptom.When I mute all sound using the master volume control, playback continues through my headphones, but not my main speakers. This is getting weird. The jack is fine - audio through my headphones is clear and crisp as ever, it's just coming through my onboard speakers at the same time. This is frustrating me to no end.
4. It's ready for the Internet of Things
The IoT buzz isn't going away and nor is Bluetooth - version 5 of the standard will include various under-the-hood tweaks and optimisations to provide better performance and draw less power when installed in smart home kit dotted around the home.
5. You might need new devices
Unlike some Bluetooth upgrades, this one might require new chips (although old kit will work with Bluetooth 5, you won't get the extra performance and features). Get ready for the flagship phones of 2017 to all come with Bluetooth 5 installed inside.
- Check out the 10 best Bluetooth speakers available today
Bluetooth 4.2 Vs 5.0 Difference
Here's our full rumour round-up for the upcoming iPhone 7: