According to Apple’s official public specs list, all four iPhone 14 models and the second-generation AirPods Pro support Bluetooth 5.3 technology, but it’s still unclear if these devices support Bluetooth LE Audio, which requires Bluetooth 5.2 and higher to be supported on devices. It is a low-power audio streaming specification that brings many benefits to devices in the Apple ecosystem.
Earlier this week, we outlined five benefits that LE Audio could bring to AirPods Pro, specifically if Apple supported the spec.
● Improved audio quality
According to the Bluetooth SIG, LE Audio includes a new low-power audio codec called LC3, which provides improved audio quality compared to the classic SBC codec, even at a 50% lower bit rate.
● Longer battery life
With the low-power LC3 audio codec, AirPods Pro will last longer for audio playback.
● Multi-stream audio
LE Audio can transfer multiple simultaneous audio streams between a source device like an iPhone or Mac and AirPods Pro. This will allow separate left and right AirPods to each have a Bluetooth audio connection to a device that supports LE Audio for increased reliability.
Connect multiple pairs of AirPods to iPhone at once
LE Audio will allow multiple pairs of AirPods to connect to an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or other devices with Bluetooth 5.2 or later at the same time. Apple already has a feature that allows an iPhone or iPad user using AirPods to share audio with another person using AirPods, but this feature does not work with more than two pairs of AirPods.
No need to switch between iPhone and Mac
LE Audio will allow AirPods to connect to multiple source devices like the iPhone and Mac at the same time, eliminating the need to switch AirPods between devices.
Apple’s press release and technical specs page for iPhone 14 and the new AirPods Pro doesn’t appear to mention LE Audio or the benefits listed above, leading us to believe that LE Audio may not be supported on these devices at this time, but foreign tech outlet MacRumors has reached out to Apple for confirmation. In July, the organization behind Bluetooth said it expects the availability of LE Audio-enabled products to increase by the end of 2022.
