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Is all the Hype about Bluetooth 5.0 worth it, and should you be eager to have it?

by Felix Omondi
bluetooth 5.0

Bluetooth 5.0 was unveiled by a consortium (if you will) called Bluetooth Special Interest Group at an event held in London. It is the next step in the evolution ladder of the Bluetooth wireless communication technology; succeeding Bluetooth 4.0.

Chance are high you have multiple devices around your home and office that have Bluetooth 4.0, and while it is a useful wireless technology to use, Bluetooth 5.0 does it better. First, let’s highlight some of the shortcomings of the good-old Bluetooth 4.0:

Ø Theoretically, Bluetooth 4.0 is supposed to connect two devices within a maximum range of 50 meters apart; the two devices must be in direct line of sight. However, in normal usage, the best coverage you can get is within a maximum of 10 meters. That is probably why you notice the sound quality on your Bluetooth headphone drop off when you move into a different room from your phone.

Ø Bluetooth 5.0 proves to be more efficient that 4.0 given its theoretical distance for connecting two devices that are in direct line of contact is 200 meters. The average range you are likely to get on a typical day is 50 meters; that is five times that of Bluetooth 4.0.

Ø When using Bluetooth 4.0 technology, you can only connect one device to another single device. But with Bluetooth 5.0 you can connect one device to two devices at the same time. That is because Bluetooth 5.0 is eight times faster than Bluetooth 4.0, given the fast data transfer speed it offers; you can connect your smartphone to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously.

Ø Improved Broadcasting: Developers use Bluetooth technology to broadcast and make app experience better. With Bluetooth 5.0, the broadcasting capability is eight times faster thus further improving the experience altogether.

No doubt Bluetooth 5.0 is going to improve Bluetooth technology capacity and give Wi-Fi Direct a run for its money. People who have found Bluetooth to be limiting; the pairing process can be cumbersome especially when you are connecting in-between multiple devices frequently.

The first device to ship with Bluetooth 5.0 is the Samsung Galaxy S8, and you can expect more devices to follow soon. Rumors have it that Google Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

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