Bluetooth Versions

Explore the evolution of Bluetooth Low Energy from version 4.0 through 6.0, with detailed specifications and feature comparisons.

Bluetooth 4.0

2010

Bluetooth 4.0 specification -- the first version to include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

Data Rate 1.0 Mbps
Max Range 50 m
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) introduced, Dual-mode (Classic + LE), 1 Mbps LE data rate

Bluetooth 4.1

2013

Bluetooth 4.1 -- improved LTE coexistence and connection-oriented channels.

Data Rate 1.0 Mbps
Max Range 50 m
Improved LTE coexistence, L2CAP connection-oriented channels, Dual-mode topology flexibility

Bluetooth 4.2

2014

Bluetooth 4.2 -- LE Data Length Extension, Secure Connections, and IPv6 support.

Data Rate 1.0 Mbps
Max Range 50 m
LE Data Length Extension (DLE), LE Secure Connections (LESC), LE Privacy 1.2

Bluetooth 5.0

2016

Bluetooth 5.0 -- 2x speed, 4x range, and 8x advertising capacity.

Data Rate 2.0 Mbps
Max Range 200 m
LE 2M PHY (2 Mbps), LE Coded PHY (long range), Extended advertising (255 bytes)

Bluetooth 5.1

2019

Bluetooth 5.1 -- direction finding with AoA/AoD for centimeter-level positioning.

Data Rate 2.0 Mbps
Max Range 200 m
Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), GATT caching

Bluetooth 5.2

2020

Bluetooth 5.2 -- LE Audio with LC3 codec and isochronous channels.

Data Rate 2.0 Mbps
Max Range 200 m
LE Audio (LC3 codec), Isochronous channels (CIS/BIS), Enhanced ATT (EATT)

Bluetooth 5.3

2021

Bluetooth 5.3 -- connection subrating for better power efficiency.

Data Rate 2.0 Mbps
Max Range 200 m
Connection subrating, Periodic advertising enhancement, Channel classification enhancement

Bluetooth 5.4

2023

Bluetooth 5.4 -- PAwR for electronic shelf labels and encrypted advertising.

Data Rate 2.0 Mbps
Max Range 200 m
Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR), Encrypted advertising data, LE GATT security levels characteristic

Bluetooth 6.0

2024

Bluetooth 6.0 -- Channel Sounding for centimeter-accurate ranging.

Data Rate 2.0 Mbps
Max Range 200 m
Channel Sounding (high-accuracy distance measurement), Decision-based advertising filtering, Monitoring advertisers