Bluetooth 7.0 adds high-speed HDT mode for lossless audio

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has adopted a new High Data Throughput mode as an optional part of the Bluetooth Core 7.0 specification, the organisation announced this week. The mode raises the maximum Bluetooth Low Energy data rate from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps, nearly four times higher. It supports five data rates: 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7.5 Mbps. The SIG says HDT is designed to improve transfer speeds, capacity, energy efficiency and reliability.

For audio, the SIG says HDT will "support lossless and high-resolution audio as well as advances in multi-channel surround sound and spatial audio". Because HDT is built into the core version of Bluetooth, What Hi-Fi? reports, higher-quality wireless listening could become the norm, removing the need for special codecs such as Qualcomm aptX or Sony LDAC. Currently an iPhone does not support aptX or LDAC, and Sennheiser said fewer than 16 percent of smartphones support aptX Adaptive and under 1 percent support aptX Lossless.

Existing devices will not gain HDT through a software update, because it requires new hardware on both the sending and receiving side, RouteNote Blog reported. The feature is optional, so manufacturers are not required to include it in Bluetooth 7.0 products. AppleInsider reported that the Bluetooth SIG expects manufacturers to begin supporting HDT in 2027, and Apple has not confirmed whether future AirPods will adopt it, although SIG executives said discussions with Apple are underway.

The first devices with HDT should appear early next year, and What Hi-Fi? expects to see some at the CES trade show in January. Beyond headphones, The Verge noted that HDT could apply to wearables, smart glasses and other connected devices. Business Standard listed possible uses such as smartwatches synchronising large amounts of fitness data, smart glasses moving data for AI processing, and smart home devices completing firmware updates faster.

RouteNote Blog noted Spotify introduced lossless streaming for Premium subscribers in 2025, joining Apple Music and Tidal, but conventional Bluetooth can add another compression layer before music reaches a listener. HDT could close that gap, making lossless wireless listening a realistic prospect in the next generation of audio devices.