2025 was a big year for Bluetooth® innovation. New features, such as Bluetooth® Channel Sounding and Auracast™ broadcast audio, saw wider deployment across a range of markets, enhancing accessibility, promoting greater inclusion, and driving rapid growth for countless applications.
Recently, we had a chance to hear from Xin Liu, senior technology planning manager for the chip product technology department at OPPO; JM Choi, VP and head of connectivity R&D for mobile eXperience business at Samsung Electronics; and Masahiko Seki, senior network technical manager at Sony Corporation about the market impact Bluetooth technology had over the last year and what we can expect from Bluetooth in 2026.
Bluetooth® market impact in 2025
How is Bluetooth technology being used to create a better world?
Xin Liu from OPPO: In 2025, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding emerged as a key breakthrough feature. By greatly improving ranging accuracy and security, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding delivers a step change in the user experience and is set to drive rapid growth across applications like digital car keys and item finding.
JM Choi from Samsung Electronics: Bluetooth® technology has a number of unique advantages, including low-power communication, which is critical for supporting efficient and reliable connections across our products. By leveraging the latest advancements in Bluetooth technology, such as Bluetooth LE Audio and Bluetooth® Channel Sounding, we’re providing users with richer, more immersive experiences that make everyday interactions with our devices even better.
Masahiko Seki from Sony Corporation: For Sony, Bluetooth® technology is essential in audio products today. Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast™ broadcast audio represent advancements over conventional Bluetooth Classic Audio, significantly enhancing the overall user experience. We believe that 2025 marks a milestone in the popularization of Auracast™ solutions.
How have you leveraged Bluetooth connectivity to help make end-user experiences more accessible, inclusive, or healthier?
JM Choi from Samsung Electronics: In 2025, we took meaningful steps to make our technology more accessible and convenient by integrating Bluetooth LE Audio-based hearing aid connectivity and Auracast™ audio broadcasting into smartphones and tablets. We introduced built-in controls to simplify everyday use for hearing aid users, and, with Auracast™ broadcast audio, we streamlined the setup process with unified screens that help users start broadcasts, find nearby broadcasts, and stay in sync effortlessly.
We can also enable music and live voice captured through the phone’s microphone to be broadcast via an Auracast™ broadcast so users can hear clearly through their compatible hearing aids or earbuds. This is especially useful in settings like museums and guided-tour experiences.
Masahiko Seki from Sony Corporation: In May 2025, Sony demonstrated the Auracast™ experience at the Music Festival for Children and Young People 2025. This was the first concert in Japan to utilize Auracast™ broadcast audio.
At the event, Auracast™ solutions assisted children with hearing loss in enjoying the music by enabling them to hear high- and low-frequency sounds that are usually inaudible. Additionally, they were able to listen to the music at their preferred volume level. We received a great deal of positive feedback from the audience.
Other remarkable Auracast™ events in 2025 include the UK Pavilion event at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan and the Bluetooth Tokyo Seminar 2025. Both events helped promote the deployment of Auracast™ solutions and the audio accessibility they can bring to visitors at public venues.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond
How do you see current Bluetooth® use cases adapting or evolving to support emerging applications or markets in the coming years?
Xin Liu from OPPO: OPPO believes that future Bluetooth® innovations, such as high-resolution and lossless audio, will unlock substantial market growth. We encourage the relevant working groups to accelerate the development and release of the associated specifications and standards to realize this potential.
JM Choi from Samsung Electronics: Bluetooth® LE Audio services, including bidirectional stereo communication and broadcast capabilities, have recently been commercialized. Looking ahead, we see Bluetooth® Channel Sounding continuing to support a wider range of proximity-based services, such as digital key and more precise device discovery.
At the same time, emerging high data throughput and high-frequency Bluetooth technologies will enable faster transmission and lower-latency connections. This will allow new product categories to deliver advanced functionality and more seamless, enriched user experiences.
Masahiko Seki from Sony Corporation: Auracast™ broadcast audio will be an essential technology in public spaces, particularly for improving accessibility. Several Sony products already support Auracast™ broadcast audio, and we look forward to seeing more venues install Auracast™ transmitters to enhance user experience and drive greater inclusivity.
In what ways do you see AI, machine learning, or edge computing intersecting with the development or deployment of Bluetooth® solutions?
JM Choi from Samsung Electronics: Many low-power wearable devices, such as smartwatches and earbuds, face challenges when it comes to running on-device AI or machine learning because of computing power limitations. To expand AI-driven experiences for these products, it is important to leverage low-power communication technologies that work in tandem with smartphones and tablets. Continuous standardization is also essential to ensure fast and efficient transmission of audio, multimedia, and sensor data over a Bluetooth connection.
How do you anticipate advancements in Bluetooth high-resolution/lossless audio, higher data throughput, and ultra-low latency HID will shape the products or experiences in the market over the next few years?
Xin Liu from OPPO: With user demand for low-latency and high-resolution audio growing rapidly, OPPO is accelerating the launch of new smartphones and audio devices that leverage these advanced Bluetooth® technologies to deliver richer, more seamless experiences.
JM Choi from Samsung Electronics: As Bluetooth standards expand to support faster data transmission speeds and greater bandwidth, we expect this to help maintain consistent performance even when multiple peripheral devices — such as earbuds, smartwatches, and car kit products — are connected to phones and tablets. These advancements will also improve the ability to use Bluetooth connectivity alongside other nearby wireless technologies operating in the same frequency band. Most importantly, they are expected to play a key role in enabling new services.
