Google Pixel Phones Just Got A Major Bluetooth Connectivity Upgrade - Why 6.0 Is Such A Big Deal

Joseph Maldonado/ZDNET

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Pixel 10 is nan first US telephone lineup pinch Bluetooth 6.
• Bluetooth 6 adds upgrades, including precise Channel Sounding.
• Both devices request Bluetooth 6, truthful take will beryllium slow.

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Google's Pixel 10 smartphones debuted pinch plentifulness of noteworthy features, including autochthonal magnetic wireless charging, an industry-first IP68 dust- and waterproof foldable telephone design, and more intuitive AI features. The Pixel 10 smartphone lineup besides debuts Bluetooth 6, making them nan first smartphones successful nan US pinch nan latest Bluetooth connectivity standard.

Also: Google conscionable settled nan foldable telephone statement pinch 1 number - and I dream Samsung is watching

In summation to improving wireless connections' stability, powerfulness consumption, and strength, Bluetooth 6 introduces Channel Sounding, which makes instrumentality location search much accurate. Despite its 2024 release, Bluetooth 6 and Channel Sounding are successful nan painfully slow take process. Still, 2 Pixel devices are compatible pinch it. Here's what it intends for you now and successful nan future.

What is Channel Sounding?

Channel Sounding builds connected Bluetooth LE's positioning exertion to alteration 2 devices to found nan region betwixt them. Currently, Bluetooth devices usage awesome spot to find distance, but Channel Sounding measures nan clip it takes for nan awesome to travel. This much unafraid and meticulous method provides instrumentality location accusation down to nan centimeter.

Current Bluetooth-enabled instrumentality search tin show you wherever your instrumentality is, successful a wide sense, but Channel Sounding should beryllium capable to alert you that your instrumentality is wrong 10 feet and low-lying to nan right, wedged betwixt your sofa cushions.

Also: Your Android telephone conscionable sewage a immense audio upgrade for free - including Google and Samsung

According to Bluetooth, Channel Sounding, aliases precision location tracking, requires a hardware update. However, existing devices tin beryllium upgraded to support Bluetooth LE, which provides basal location awareness.

Accurate location-tracking devices, for illustration AirTags, person an soul ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, which immunodeficiency successful ultra-precise location tracking. UWB is incredibly precise, but it's much costly and analyzable than Bluetooth to instrumentality universally.

Which Pixel devices person Bluetooth 6?

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold support Bluetooth 6. Thanks to a caller Wear OS update, nan Pixel Watch 3 besides supports Channel Sounding. Google has not confirmed really it supplied nan Pixel Watch 3 pinch this update, considering Bluetooth type updates historically require caller hardware.

Also: Everything announced astatine Made by Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more

Bluetooth 6 besides brings faster Bluetooth instrumentality scanning, better-quality audio codecs, improved audio and video latency streaming for Bluetooth LE devices, and much businesslike connections.

What does this mean for nan future?

Bluetooth's extremity is to standardize technologies that we usage each day. When introduced successful 1999, Bluetooth intended to standardize our connection methods, eliminating wires for connecting to headphones, phones, and computers.

Also: I'm a longtime iPhone user, but Google conscionable sold maine connected nan Pixel 10 pinch these features

Today, wireless connection and connections are standard, and Bluetooth's adjacent situation is standardizing Channel Sounding. Standardization would instrumentality unafraid and meticulous location capabilities into each of our Bluetooth devices, 1 time enabling our smartphones to act arsenic integer car and location keys.

Gone would beryllium nan days of surviving wrong a instrumentality ecosystem to entree instrumentality search features. Picture this: alternatively of purchasing a dedicated location locator to find your gym bag, your headphones, earbuds, aliases tablet wrong your container could enactment arsenic its Bluetooth tracker.

Apple's iPhone 17 and Samsung's Galaxy 26 lineup, which are slated to merchandise this autumn and early adjacent year, respectively, are nan adjacent smartphones to perchance person Bluetooth 6 support.

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