Key Takeaways
- Bluetooth technology isn’t quite on par with wired connections for audio quality, but aptX HD helps bridge the gap.
- aptX HD offers better detail in songs and improves signal-to-noise ratio, but still falls short of lossless audio.
- To use aptX HD, you need a device that supports it, such as those with the CSR8675 Bluetooth audio SoC.
Over the past few years, smartphone manufacturers have facilitated the boom in wireless headphones by removing the 3.5mm headphone jack, which used to be a mainstay feature on all portable devices. That meant wireless technology had to get better, and Qualcomm has been one of the biggest names at the forefront of that change.
Using Bluetooth for audio has always meant a dip in audio quality when compared to a wired connection. That’s because Bluetooth isn’t as good at transferring high amounts of data in a short amount of time. That hasn’t necessarily stopped people using it — sacrificing good sound quality for convenience is hardly a new thing after all, especially for different activities — but there has been a push for better quality audio from source to device more recently, and aptX HD is just one part of that puzzle. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the technology, Bluetooth will never quite match up in audio quality and speed of wired connections, but with advancements in technology, it gets closer all the time.
aptX HD is a Bluetooth codec that allows for better quality audio than other common codecs that came before it. But how does it work and which devices support it? Allow me to explain.
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aptX HD, explained
Compression methods and transmission technology
aptX HD is an evolution of aptX, which you may have heard of before. The compression algorithm has been around since the 1980s but is now owned by Qualcomm, the manufacturer of the Snapdragon processing chips that are found in the majority of Android smartphones.
aptX has support for ‘CD-like’ 16-bit/44.1kHz quality with a maximum bitrate of 352kbps, but it gets compressed when transmitted over Bluetooth, so you’re still losing audio quality when compared to using wired headphones. The compression is there to help keep latency at an absolute minimum when transmitted wirelessly to headphones or a Bluetooth speaker — that means the time that it takes to get from your source device to your headphones.
aptX HD supports up to 24-bit/48kHz audio, with a bitrate of 576kbps at most, making it significantly better than aptX, but still far from lossless. The newer technology was launched in 2016 to offer higher quality streaming, and Qualcomm says it offers “better-than-CD” sound quality and can even enhance the sound of standard resolution music files. Keep in mind that, in reality, it’s not at all “better than CD” quality, because aptX HD is still not lossless, like all other Bluetooth codecs at this point in time. It comes with the territory, but Bluetooth just isn’t there yet.
aptX HD has also been designed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, meaning you should be able to hear more detail in the songs you listen to when compared to other codecs. However, it is still a lossy format, so it’s nowhere near what you would get with wired listening.
The company has tried to take this further with the likes of aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless (which is not truly lossless) but, for now, aptX HD remains the most supported codec that Qualcomm offers.
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Which devices support aptX HD?
You need the right tech to reap the benefits
In order to take advantage of the benefits of aptX HD, you’ll need to make sure you have a device that supports it — both as a source to play it and a device to receive it. These devices will have the CSR8675 Bluetooth audio system-on-chip (SoC) as it’s capable of supporting 24-bit audio from end-to-end.
At the time of writing, Qualcomm lists some 570 devices released since 2019 that support the codec, and you can head over to this list on Qualcomm’s website to see what they are, ranging from smartphones and media players to headphones and amps.
However, it’s worth noting that Samsung devices currently don’t support the format and neither does Apple, so you’ll be looking at using a different codec if you own a Galaxy phone or iPhone.
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FAQ
Q: Do any iPhones support aptX HD?
iPhones haven’t ever supported aptX HD. The only codecs iPhones currently support are SBC and AAC. It’s unlikely that iPhones will ever support aptX HD, but anything could happen.
Q: Is aptX HD lossless?
aptX HD is not lossless and doesn’t come close, despite what Qualcomm states about it. Lossless audio is not currently possible over Bluetooth because of data transfer limitations.
Q: How do I make sure my phone is using the right codec?
To make sure you’re using aptX HD on your compatible phone, or see which codec you’re using by default, you’ll have to go into Android developer settings. To get there, go to Settings > About phone > Software information, and then tap on the build number seven times. Afterward, you can return to the Settings menu, and you’ll see a Developer options menu to press on. From there, find the section called Bluetooth audio codec and tap on it, and you’ll see which codec you’re currently using, and which you can choose from.
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