Bluetooth is about to get four times faster and smartwatches could benefit most

Bluetooth LE is getting a sizeable speed upgrade. The upcoming High Data Throughput standard raises the maximum rate from 2 Mbps to as much as 7.5 Mbps, which could make firmware updates, maps, music and large wearable data transfers noticeably quicker.

For those not in the know, Bluetooth is one of the slower parts of the modern smartwatch experience. Watches have become much more capable, but moving large amounts of data between a phone and wrist can still take surprisingly long.

Bluetooth High Data Throughput, or HDT, is designed to address that. The Bluetooth SIG revealed the technology earlier this year and expects it to be adopted into the Bluetooth Core Specification in late 2026.

The maximum Bluetooth LE data rate would rise from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps. That is nearly four times faster on paper, although real-world transfer speeds will be lower and depend on the hardware and connection conditions.

Faster updates, maps and music

The most obvious benefit for smartwatches is quicker file transfers. Bluetooth SIG says a multi-megabyte transfer that takes around 16 seconds using current Bluetooth LE technology could take roughly four seconds with HDT.

Firmware updates are an obvious use case. We already see manufacturers recommending Wi-Fi for larger watch updates, because Bluetooth alone can be slow.

Offline maps should benefit as well. Garmin, Amazfit, Suunto and other brands increasingly let users store maps and routes directly on the watch, and those files can be much larger than the small amounts of data Bluetooth LE traditionally handles well.

The same applies to offline music and larger workout histories. Faster Bluetooth would not transform these features, but it could remove some of the waiting that still makes syncing a watch feel slower than it should.

Wi-Fi may matter a little less

HDT could also reduce the need for Wi-Fi on some wearables. Wi-Fi will remain much faster, but Bluetooth at 7.5 Mbps becomes good enough for more jobs that currently push manufacturers towards a second wireless connection.

That could be useful on smaller trackers and screenless devices where space and battery capacity are limited. Avoiding Wi-Fi can simplify the hardware, while faster Bluetooth transfers also mean the radio can finish its work sooner and return to a lower-power state.

HDT will not simply run at maximum speed all the time. It supports several data rates, including 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7.5 Mbps, allowing devices to adjust depending on signal quality.

Current watches probably won’t get it

The catch is that this is not something manufacturers can simply enable on today’s watches with a firmware update. HDT changes the physical radio layer, so compatible Bluetooth hardware will be required on both sides of the connection.

That means the benefits are more likely to appear in future watches, phones and chipsets. Bluetooth SIG expects HDT to enter the Core Specification in late 2026, with compatible consumer hardware following afterwards.

Smartwatches are handling larger firmware packages, offline maps, music and increasingly complex health data, while Bluetooth LE has remained comparatively slow. Raising the ceiling from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps will give wearable makers considerably more room to work with.

Source: Bluetooth SIG