The latest Google Pixel phones quietly got a Bluetooth upgrade - why it's a big deal

Joseph Maldonado/ZDNET

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Pixel 10 is the archetypal US telephone lineup with Bluetooth 6.
• Bluetooth 6 adds upgrades, including precise Channel Sounding.
• Both devices request Bluetooth 6, truthful adoption volition beryllium slow.

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Google's Pixel 10 smartphones debuted with 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 the archetypal smartphones successful the US with the latest Bluetooth connectivity standard.

Also: Google conscionable settled the foldable telephone statement with 1 fig - and I anticipation Samsung is watching

In summation to improving wireless connections' stability, powerfulness consumption, and strength, Bluetooth 6 introduces Channel Sounding, which makes instrumentality determination tracking much accurate. Despite its 2024 release, Bluetooth 6 and Channel Sounding are successful the painfully dilatory adoption process. Still, 2 Pixel devices are compatible with it. Here's what it means for you present and successful the future.

What is Channel Sounding?

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

Current Bluetooth-enabled instrumentality tracking tin archer 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 the right, wedged betwixt your sofa cushions.

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

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

Accurate location-tracking devices, similar AirTags, person an interior ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, which immunodeficiency successful ultra-precise determination 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 enactment Bluetooth 6. Thanks to a caller Wear OS update, the Pixel Watch 3 besides supports Channel Sounding. Google has not confirmed however it supplied the Pixel Watch 3 with this update, considering Bluetooth mentation updates historically necessitate 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 the 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 the Pixel 10 with these features

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

Gone would beryllium the days of surviving wrong a instrumentality ecosystem to entree instrumentality tracking features. Picture this: alternatively of purchasing a dedicated determination tracker to find your gym bag, your headphones, earbuds, oregon 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 aboriginal adjacent year, respectively, are the adjacent smartphones to perchance person Bluetooth 6 support.

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