Android 13 will support Bluetooth Low Energy that reduces energy consumption while keeping audio quality the same
A commit found in the AOSP revealed some news about the LE Audio codec
Android 10 was the first version of the open-source operating system to include Bluetooth LE Audio streaming for hearing aids(ASHA). This provided support for compatible earbuds and earphones that delivered major savings to energy consumption without losing audio quality. After all, some people wearing hearing aids need to conserve power since they are worn all day (except when sleeping). And from that technology, Bluetooth LE Audio was born.
AndroidPolice recently quoted GN Hearing’s chief audiology officer Laurel Christensen. The company makes advanced hearing aids that require a lot of processing and other energy-devouring technology. But Christensen said, “We have to think about power consumption from that perspective. We want to use the least amount of power that we can to actually do the streaming for music and for telephone calls.”
Not everyone agrees that there is no hit to audio quality with Bluetooth Low Energy
The executive also noted that Bluetooth Low Energy-based ASHA focuses on saving energy, so much so, that it can help deliver all-day battery life even when adding streaming to all the other audio processing that goes on. But Christensen’s contention that there’s “really no quality trade-off to go with Bluetooth Low Energy” is challenged by Whisper’s Head of Engineering Jan Linden.
