Bluetooth SIG Launches High-Throughput Bluetooth 7.0
The optional High Data Throughput feature in Bluetooth Core 7.0 targets lossless audio and spatial sound at 7.5 Mbps.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Semiconductors
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The Bluetooth Special Interest Group launched Bluetooth Core 7.0 with an optional High Data Throughput feature. The feature supports 7.5 Mbps and is designed for lossless and high-resolution audio, surround sound, and spatial audio.
Why it matters
The higher throughput could expand what wireless audio can deliver beyond current Bluetooth LE speeds, which the Bluetooth SIG says is almost four times slower. Adoption depends on manufacturers adding new processors, which carries added hardware cost.
The Bluetooth SIG specification sets High Data Throughput at 7.5 Mbps, almost four times current Bluetooth LE speeds. Whether manufacturers will adopt the feature, given its requirement for new processors, has not been confirmed.
The players
Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG)
The Bluetooth SIG is the industry body that develops and maintains the Bluetooth wireless standard.
Ken Kolderup
Ken Kolderup is the chief marketing officer of the Bluetooth SIG.
Apple
Apple is a major consumer electronics maker whose device adoption decisions could influence uptake of Bluetooth HDT.
The details
Bluetooth HDT is an optional part of Bluetooth Core 7.0 and must be adopted in hardware by manufacturers. The Bluetooth SIG expects support in 2027, and its chief marketing officer Ken Kolderup said the group is confident the standard will be adopted.
Timeline
- 2026-11-04
Article reporting the Bluetooth HDT launch published.
2027: Bluetooth SIG expects manufacturers to support Bluetooth HDT.
Tech Race
Bluetooth HDT extends the Bluetooth standard beyond the throughput tier of Bluetooth LE, which the Bluetooth SIG uses as its comparison point. Its success will depend on whether device makers accept the cost of new processors needed to support it.
Bluetooth HDT could allow wireless headphones and speakers to carry lossless and spatial audio if device makers adopt it. Buyers should expect new processors to be a prerequisite, so support will depend on which devices include the hardware.
The takeaway
Newer Bluetooth audio features depend on hardware upgrades, so check a device's specifications for the new processor before assuming support for high-throughput audio.
Further reading
For background on the chips that power wireless standards like this, see Semiconductors.
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Would you pay more for headphones with the new lossless Bluetooth audio standard?
