5 Bluetooth 6.0 features I think will improve your earbuds experience

Bluetooth 6.0 is finally rolling out to new phones like the OnePlus 13s and a handful of earbuds, and as someone who spends a lot of time listening to music, catching up on podcasts, gaming, or just taking calls through earbuds, I know you’re probably wondering what this new standard means for your daily listening experience.

I had a close look at what Bluetooth 6.0 brings to the table, and after digging into the details, I found five features that I think will make a real difference in how you use your earbuds.

1. Lower latency makes audio feel instant

Let’s start with what I think is the most noticeable upgrade, latency. Bluetooth 6.0 introduces something called the Isochronous Adaptation Layer (ISO-AL).

It’s a feature that helps audio data get broken down into smaller pieces and sent more efficiently across multiple channels at once. This means your earbuds can get the signal faster and more reliably.

This is a big deal because when you're watching a video or playing a game, even a small delay between what you see and what you hear can be annoying.

With ISO-AL, Bluetooth 6.0 brings latency down to under 20 milliseconds in many cases and potentially as low as 7 milliseconds when using the new LC3Plus codec.

That’s a big leap compared to most current Bluetooth earbuds, which average anywhere between 50 to 200 milliseconds depending on the brand and mode.

For gaming, this means gunshots, footsteps, and in-game cues will sound exactly when they’re supposed to. For movies and video calls, lips will match speech more accurately.

2. Channel sounding helps you find lost earbuds without extra gear

Next is a feature that solves a problem I run into more often than I’d like: losing an earbud. Bluetooth 6.0 introduces a feature called channel sounding, which lets devices calculate how far apart they are using the time it takes a signal to travel between them.

This doesn’t just estimate range by signal strength like older versions; it measures timing and signal phases, similar to how radar works.

The result is more precise distance tracking, down to about 50 centimeters, or even less in ideal conditions. It's not quite as precise as ultra-wideband (UWB), which can go down to 10 centimeters, but the big deal is that it doesn't need any extra hardware.

That’s useful because not every country allows UWB (Indonesia, for example, restricts its use), and Bluetooth 6.0 is allowed globally.

That means if your earbuds support it, you can find them using your phone without needing Apple’s U1 chip or Samsung’s SmartTag+.

It’s also more secure than older methods and opens up other possibilities, like using your earbuds to automatically unlock your phone or smart lock when you're close enough.

3. Decision-Based Advertising Filtering (DBAF) makes pairing faster and less annoying

If you’ve ever tried to pair your earbuds in a crowded place, say a tech store, airport lounge, or even a shared apartment, you know the frustration of scrolling through a huge list of Bluetooth devices that aren't yours.

Bluetooth 6.0 addresses this with something called Decision-Based Advertising Filtering (DBAF).

This system splits Bluetooth Low Energy advertisements into two levels: a primary channel and a secondary one. Your device first scans the primary channel, which includes just the basic info it needs to decide if it’s interested.

Only then does it move on to read the rest from the secondary channel. This makes it easier and faster for devices to find each other, even in signal-heavy environments.

It also means faster switching between devices and more reliable multipoint connections. So when you switch your earbuds from your phone to your laptop, it should happen with less delay and fewer connection hiccups.

If you've used wireless audio products in real-world situations, you know that's a welcome fix.

4. Monitoring advertisers helps save battery, especially on the go

Another subtle but useful upgrade is how Bluetooth 6.0 helps devices manage power. Currently, Bluetooth LE devices don’t always know when something is out of range.

That means your earbuds might keep trying to connect to a phone or tablet that's no longer nearby, wasting battery.

Bluetooth 6.0 fixes this with a feature called "monitoring advertisers." Now, Bluetooth LE can detect when a device is out of range and stop wasting energy trying to connect.

It sounds small, but this adds up, especially for people who walk away from their earbuds or leave them paired to devices they’re not using.

In daily use, this means less idle battery drain, faster reconnections, and better standby performance. While it won’t double your battery life, it does make it more predictable. And that’s something I’ll take.

5. LC3Plus codec delivers higher quality audio with ultra-low delay

Last, we have a new audio codec that might be a game changer—LC3Plus. It builds on the LC3 codec introduced with Bluetooth 5.2 but goes further.

LC3Plus supports audio up to 96kHz and 32-bit resolution, which means it’s capable of lossless streaming. But unlike traditional high-res codecs, it’s also incredibly fast, with latency as low as 7 milliseconds.

That’s an enormous improvement for people who care about both sound quality and delay. Most “gaming” modes today still struggle to go below 50 milliseconds.

With LC3Plus, we’re getting close to wired performance. Some companies are already integrating it—HyperX, JBL, Bang & Olufsen, and AKG, to name a few.

There’s a catch, though. Unlike the base LC3 codec, LC3Plus is licensed, so it might not be supported in every device. Right now, we’re seeing it more in USB dongles and wireless microphones than in earbuds, but that could change as adoption grows.

Most of these upgrades depend on new hardware, not just software updates. Your current earbuds won’t gain Bluetooth 6.0 support through a firmware update. And your phone or tablet also needs to be compatible to take full advantage of the improvements.

The Bluetooth SIG officially finalized the Bluetooth 6.0 spec in late 2024, and we’re starting to see the first devices this year.

Phones like the OnePlus 13s are among the first to include it. Expect more premium earbuds to follow later in 2025 and into 2026, especially from brands that already support things like multipoint, LC3, or low-latency modes.