Google Pixel 10 Series Introduces Bluetooth 6: A Leap in Wireless Technology

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

Google's Pixel 10 smartphones debuted with plenty of noteworthy features, including native magnetic wireless charging, an industry-first IP68 dust- and waterproof foldable phone design, and more intuitive AI features. The Pixel 10 smartphone lineup also debuts Bluetooth 6, making them the first smartphones in the US with the latest Bluetooth connectivity standard. Also: Google just settled the foldable phone debate with one number - and I hope Samsung is watching In addition to improving wireless connections' stability, power consumption, and strength, Bluetooth 6 introduces Channel Sounding, which makes device location tracking more accurate. Despite its 2024 release, Bluetooth 6 and Channel Sounding are in the painfully slow adoption process. Still, two Pixel devices are compatible with it. Here's what it means for you now and in the future. Channel Sounding builds on Bluetooth LE's positioning technology to enable two devices to establish the distance between them. Currently, Bluetooth devices use signal strength to determine distance, but Channel Sounding measures the time it takes for the signal to travel. This more secure and accurate method provides device location information down to the centimeter. Current Bluetooth-enabled device tracking can tell you where your device is, in a general sense, but Channel Sounding should be able to alert you that your device is within 10 feet and low-lying to the right, wedged between your couch cushions. Also: Your Android phone just got a huge audio upgrade for free - including Google and Samsung According to Bluetooth, Channel Sounding, or precision location tracking, requires a hardware update. However, existing devices can be upgraded to support Bluetooth LE, which provides basic location awareness. Accurate location-tracking devices, like AirTags, have an internal ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, which aids in ultra-precise location tracking. UWB is incredibly precise, but it's more expensive and complex than Bluetooth to implement universally. The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold support Bluetooth 6. Thanks to a recent Wear OS update, the Pixel Watch 3 also supports Channel Sounding. Google has not confirmed how it supplied the Pixel Watch 3 with this update, considering Bluetooth version updates historically require new hardware. Also: Everything announced at Made by Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more Bluetooth 6 also brings faster Bluetooth device scanning, better-quality audio codecs, improved audio and video latency streaming for Bluetooth LE devices, and more efficient connections. Bluetooth's goal is to standardize technologies that we use every day. When introduced in 1999, Bluetooth intended to standardize our communication methods, eliminating wires for connecting to headphones, phones, and computers. Also: I'm a longtime iPhone user, but Google just sold me on the Pixel 10 with these features Today, wireless communication and connections are standard, and Bluetooth's next challenge is standardizing Channel Sounding. Standardization would implement secure and accurate location capabilities into all of our Bluetooth devices, one day enabling our smartphones to act as digital car and house keys. Gone would be the days of living within a device ecosystem to access device tracking features. Picture this: instead of purchasing a dedicated location tracker to find your gym bag, your headphones, earbuds, or tablet inside your bag could act as its Bluetooth tracker. Apple's iPhone 17 and Samsung's Galaxy 26 lineup, which are slated to release this fall and early next year, respectively, are the next smartphones to potentially receive Bluetooth 6 support. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.

One of the biggest new features on the Google Pixel 10 is also one of the most overlooked

Google's Pixel 10 smartphones debuted with plenty of noteworthy features, including native magnetic wireless charging, an industry-first IP68 dust- and waterproof foldable phone design, and more intuitive AI features. One of the most significant updates, however, is the phone's adoption of Bluetooth 6, making them the first in the US with the latest Bluetooth connectivity standard. Also: Every Pixel device announced at Made by Google yesterday: 10 Pro Fold, Watch, Buds, more In addition to improving wireless connections' stability, power consumption, and strength, Bluetooth 6 introduces channel sounding, which makes device location tracking more accurate. Despite its 2024 release, Bluetooth 6 and Channel Sounding are in the painfully slow adoption process. Still, two Pixel devices are compatible with it. Here's what it means for you now and in the future. Channel sounding builds on Bluetooth LE's positioning technology to enable two devices to establish the distance between them. Currently, Bluetooth devices use signal strength to determine distance, but channel sounding measures the time it takes for the signal to travel. This more secure and accurate method provides device location information down to the centimeter. Current Bluetooth-enabled device tracking can tell you where your device is, in a general sense, but Channel Sounding should be able to alert you that your device is within 10 feet and low-lying to the right, wedged between your couch cushions. Also: This Pixel 10 Pro camera feature sets a high bar for the iPhone 17 Pro to beat According to Bluetooth, Channel Sounding, or precision location tracking, requires a hardware update. However, existing devices can be upgraded to support Bluetooth LE, which provides basic location awareness. Accurate location-tracking devices, like AirTags, have an internal ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, which aids in ultra-precise location tracking. UWB is incredibly precise, but it's more expensive and complex than Bluetooth to implement universally. The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold support Bluetooth 6. Thanks to a recent Wear OS update, the Pixel Watch 3 also supports channel sounding. Google has not confirmed how it supplied the Pixel Watch 3 with this update, considering Bluetooth version updates historically require new hardware. Also: Google just copied the worst feature of modern iPhones (but not all hope is lost) Bluetooth 6 also brings faster Bluetooth device scanning, better-quality audio codecs, improved audio and video latency streaming for Bluetooth LE devices, and more efficient connections. Bluetooth's goal is to standardize technologies across devices. When introduced in 1999, Bluetooth intended to standardize our communication methods, eliminating wires for connecting to headphones, phones, and computers. Also: I'm a longtime iPhone user, but the Google Pixel 10 has me reconsidering my loyalty Today, wireless communication and connections are standard, and Bluetooth's next challenge is standardizing channel sounding. It would implement secure and accurate location capabilities into all of our Bluetooth devices, one day enabling our smartphones to act as digital car and house keys. Gone would be the days of living within a device ecosystem to access device tracking features. Picture this: instead of purchasing a dedicated location tracker to find your gym bag, your headphones, earbuds, or tablet inside your bag could act as its Bluetooth tracker. Apple's iPhone 17 and Samsung's Galaxy 26 lineup, which are slated to release this fall and early next year, respectively, are the next smartphones to potentially receive Bluetooth 6 support. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.

The Pixel 10 is the fist phone to ship in the US with Bluetooth 6 -- here's why it matters

The Pixel 10 delivers a major 4K video upgrade that helps preserve your storage Google packed plenty into its new Pixel 10 lineup: a foldable with full IP68 water resistance, magnetic wireless charging, and more AI flourishes than you can shake a stick at. But one feature slipped in with little fanfare: the Pixel 10 lineup is the first is the first to ship in the US with Bluetooth 6. Connectivity standards march on This one could turn out especially meaningful The Pixel Watch 3 debuted Channel Sounding well before Bluetooth 6 was in the cards. Bluetooth 6 introduces something called Channel Sounding. Put simply, it makes Bluetooth location tracking actually useful. Current Bluetooth location relies on signal strength, which is notoriously imprecise. Channel Sounding instead measures how long a signal takes to bounce between devices, enabling location data that's accurate down to the centimeter. In practice, that means the Pixel 10 (and Pixel Watch 3, thanks to an update) can pinpoint a lost device's position with the same kind of accuracy Apple's AirTags deliver via Ultra-wideband (UWB). Channel Sounding could eventually eliminate the need for dedicated trackers altogether, since any Bluetooth 6-enabled device, whether phone or accessory, could serve as a node in a tracking network. The predictable catch is that both devices need Bluetooth 6 hardware for the feature to work, and adoption is going to be slow. Apple's iPhone 17 and Samsung's Galaxy S26 are rumored to support it, but that still leaves years before Bluetooth 6 is everywhere. Until then, UWB continues to hold the edge for ultra-precise tracking. For now, Google's latest Pixels stand alone in supporting the new spec. But if Bluetooth 6 does for location tracking what Bluetooth as a whole once did for cables, we're looking at the early stages of something far bigger. Other big Bluetooth 6 upgrades Improvements beyond just precision tracking The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are among the high-end earphones with LC3 codec support, although it took a firmware update to arrive. Channel Sounding may grab headlines, but Bluetooth 6 isn't just about finding your phone in the couch cushions. The new spec also brings faster scanning, more reliable LE audio streaming, better latency handling, and smarter power management. Over time, that could make everyday Bluetooth connections less of a headache with fewer random drops, quicker device switching, and longer battery life. One major change is Isochronous Adaptation Layer (ISOAL) enhancement. ISOALs previous implementation already helped Bluetooth juggle more data per packet for features such as LE Audio. Bluetooth 6 smooths out the latency tradeoffs that came with it. That will lead to data transfers, firmware updates, and audio streaming feeling snappier and working more consistently, especially on wearables and low-power devices. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 also boast LC3 support. There's also LC3plus codec support. While optional, this high-res audio codec promises up to 96kHz/24-bit playback with latency as low as 7ms. If it takes off, it could mean Bluetooth headphones that rival wired setups for fidelity -- though, as always, real-world performance will depend on adoption. Decision-based Advertising Filtering is less eye-catching but just as important. It lets devices bail on redundant scanning tasks early, speeding up pairing and saving battery. Similarly, a new Monitoring Advertisers feature prevents a phone from endlessly pinging a device that's out of range, another quiet win for efficiency. Individually, these may sound incremental, but harnessed together in Bluetooth 6, they represent a serious effort to clean up the messy, sometimes frustrating state of wireless connections. And with the Pixel 10 family leading the charge, it's the first glimpse of where wireless tech is heading. Google Pixel 10 SoC Google Tensor G5 RAM 12GB Storage 128GB / 256GB Battery 4970mAh Operating System Android 16 Front camera 10.5 MP Dual PD selfie camera This striking-looking addition to the Pixel line offers a slew of Gemini features, an x5 telephoto lens, and seven years of updates, making this a smartphone that will last you a while. $799 at Amazon $799 at Best Buy Expand Collapse Google Pixel 10 Pro SoC Google Tensor G5 RAM 16GB Storage 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS Battery 4870mAh Operating System Android 16 Front camera 42 MP Dual PD selfie camera Google's latest Pro Pixel packs a faster yet efficient Tensor G5 chip, an upgraded ISP, and a brighter ISP. Plus, an array of new AI features that make it one of the best Android phones to launch in 2025. $999 at Amazon $999 at Best Buy Expand Collapse Google Pixel 10 Pro XL SoC Google Tensor G5 RAM 16GB Storage 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS Battery 5200mAh Operating System Android 16 Front camera 42 MP Dual PD selfie camera The Pixel 10 Pro XL packs all the same features you'll find on its less expensive siblings, along with a few exclusive features like a 6.8-inch display and faster charging. $1199 at Amazon $1199 at Best Buy Expand Collapse