Apple has released its next-generation iPhone lineup for 2022, including the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, as well as the new AirPods Pro 2 true wireless noise-cancelling headphones. All four new iPhone 14s and second-generation AirPods Pro support Bluetooth 5.3, according to the technical specifications listed on Apple’s official website, but it’s unclear if these devices have LE audio support.
LE Audio, which can be supported on any device with Bluetooth 5.2 or higher, is a low-power audio streaming specification that brings many benefits to devices in the Apple ecosystem.
- Improved audio quality: According to the Bluetooth SIG, LE Audio includes a new low-power audio encoder called LC3, which provides improved audio quality compared to the classic SBC encoder, even at a 50% lower bit rate %.
- Longer battery life: With the low-power LC3 audio encoder, AirPods Pro will last longer for audio playback.
- Multi-Stream Audio: LE Audio can stream multiple simultaneous audio streams between source devices like iPhone or Mac and AirPods Pro. This will allow separate left and right AirPods to each have their own Bluetooth audio connection to LE Audio enabled devices for improved reliability.
- Connect multiple pairs of AirPods to your iPhone at once: LE Audio will allow multiple pairs of AirPods to connect to your iPhone, iPad, Mac or other device with Bluetooth 5.2 or higher at the same time. Apple already has a feature that allows an iPhone or iPad user with AirPods to share audio with another person using AirPods, but it doesn’t 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 iPhone and Mac at the same time, eliminating the need to switch AirPods between devices.
Apple’s press releases and tech specs pages for the iPhone 14 and new AirPods Pro don’t seem to mention LE Audio or the benefits listed above, leading us to believe that these devices may not support LE Audio at the moment. The Bluetooth group said in July that it expects to see increased availability of LE Audio-enabled products by the end of 2022.
Given that the iPhone 14 models and the new AirPods Pro have a Bluetooth 5.3 chipset, it’s possible that Apple could enable LE audio via a future firmware update if the device doesn’t currently support the specification.
