Bluetooth 7 will bring a major speed boost for hi-res audio in 2027

Bluetooth LE gets support for High Data Throughput (HDT) It boosts the standard's maximum supported bit-rate by almost four times That means support for hi-res audio, spatial audio and multi-channel audio Good news for the best headphones of 2027 and beyond: the latest Bluetooth technology includes

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>Bluetooth LE gets support for High Data Throughput (HDT)</strong></li><li><strong>It boosts the standard's maximum supported bit-rate by almost four times</strong></li><li><strong>That means support for hi-res audio, spatial audio and multi-channel audio</strong></li></ul><p>Good news for the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/headphones/the-best-headphones">best headphones</a> of 2027 and beyond: the latest Bluetooth technology includes High Data Throughput technology, HDT for short, which gives Bluetooth LE a huge performance boost. It can transmit almost four times as much data as the current version, enabling it to send hi-res audio, spatial audio and multi-channel audio to other devices.</p><p>The fact that HDT is part of Bluetooth is important, because that means you aren't reliant on a proprietary technology for your hi-res music: if manufacturers choose to use HDT, which we'd expect them to do, then you'll have compatibility across a huge range of headphones, Bluetooth speakers and other home entertainment hardware.</p><p>There are other benefits too, as many current hi-res audio streams are sent via Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth. Sending them over Bluetooth LE removes that traffic from your home network, potentially cutting down on congestion, and it is likely to boost your headphones' battery life, too. </p><p>Faster data transfer means less work for your Bluetooth radio, whether you're listening to hi-res audio or lower-res streams.</p><h2 id="what-39-s-new-in-the-blue">What's new in the blue</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check="" ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="3vr7no6uYSqppraZxs4X9U" name="bluetooth.jpg" alt="Bluetooth smart unlock" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3vr7no6uYSqppraZxs4X9U-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1125" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline" /></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A new version of Bluetooth is always welcome, but it'll be a few months before Bluetooth 7.0 devices will be available. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Bluetooth SIG)</span></figcaption></figure><p>HDT is an optional feature in the newly published <a href="https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/Files/Specification/HTML/Core_v7.0/out/en/index-en.html" target="_blank">Bluetooth Core 7.0</a> standard, and it ups the bitrate of Bluetooth LE connections from 2.5Mbps to 7.5Mbps. Those are headline speeds, and as ever you'll get a bit less in the real world. But it's still a huge boost.</p><p>The benefits aren't just limited to headphones and other audio equipment. Anything that currently transmits or receives data via Bluetooth could benefit from the improved throughput of HDT, whether that's a <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/wearables/best-smart-watches-what-s-the-best-wearable-tech-for-you-1154074">smartwatch</a>, <a href="https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/the-best-smart-glasses&amp;quot">smart glasses</a> or a <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/smart-home-devices">smart home device</a>. If HDT can make updating my Apple Watch software take less time than forever, I'm sold on it already.</p><p>The downside is that you can't buy an HDT device yet. That's because there's always a lag between a new version of Bluetooth being published and products with the latest version appearing on shelves. </p><p><a href="https://www.techradar.com/computing/bluetooth-60-has-officially-launched-heres-what-the-upgraded-standard-can-do">Bluetooth 6.0 was released in September 2024</a> and <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/wireless-headphones/the-first-bluetooth-6-0-headphones-are-here-theyre-super-cheap-and-they-weigh-less-than-100g">the first Bluetooth 6.0 headphones</a> arrived in June 2026, with major headphone brands such as <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/sennheiser-gives-its-flagship-true-wireless-earbuds-a-full-revamp-complete-with-bluetooth-6-and-replaceable-batteries">Sennheiser updating their flagships mid-year</a>. You can expect a similar time frame with Bluetooth 7.0, so that's a summer to look forward to.</p><h2 id="thinking-of-buying-a-new-tv">Thinking of buying a new TV?</h2><p><em>Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.</em></p><div style="min-height: 250px;"> <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-OKl0mX"></div> </div> <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/OKl0mX.js" async=""></script> </article> ]]>