More than a few of you were disappointed that the HTC U11 didn’t have Bluetooth 5.0 when it was announced. The phone’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC does support the Bluetooth standard, but for some reason, HTC’s software engineers didn’t enable the feature.
The good news is that HTC is planning on adding support for Bluetooth 5.0 by pushing out a software update to the phones. While we’re assumed that this would be a possibility, HTC has unofficially confirmed that it is planning on enabling Bluetooth 5.0 on the HTC U11 through a filing with the FCC. The document doesn’t contain any details as to when the software update will be made available, but once it is released, the HTC U11 will be able to take advantage of the extended range offered by Bluetooth 5.0 when connected to compatible devices, transfer data at higher speeds and also stream music over to two devices simultaneously.
Currently, there are practically zero Bluetooth accessories which ship with 5.0 compatibility, but HTC U11 owners will still be able to reap some of the benefits of the new standard. Keep in mind that you’ll likely have to invest in new BT headphones, speakers and other gadgets over the next year or two if you want to take full advantage of everything Bluetooth 5.0 has to offer.
Source: Ausdroid
