Technically, the Bluetooth standard has been among us for more than two decades, and with four major revisions, it has reached a very interesting level of maturity. However, the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 also symbolizes the debut of Bluetooth 5. What’s new? In short, double speed, up to four times the distance of Bluetooth 4.x, and eight times the data transmission capacity. Faster, farther, and without interruptions.
Personally, I am not a big fan of Bluetooth accessories. Connectivity issues plus additional battery pressure make me lean toward wired solutions, but times have changed, Low Energy mode is very efficient, and the market trend shows increasing adoption. That means demands have also grown, and the limits of current Bluetooth 4.2 are starting to be felt. The answer is Bluetooth 5, without the '.0'. Its official presentation took place in June 2016, but the first device to hit the market with this technology was the Samsung Galaxy S8 (and its big brother S8+). What will be the specific benefits for the user? Let's see...
Speed, capacity, and distance
First, Bluetooth 5 manages to double the speed of Bluetooth 4.2 under similar conditions. But being faster is not enough if it isn't accompanied by substantial improvements in capacity. Second, Bluetooth 5 faces that challenge with an 800 percent increase, so we can do much more with a single link. Finally, there is the issue of distance. While this depends on the link speed, at 500 kilobits per second it covers twice that of BT 4.2, while it multiplies by four with a 128 kbps link.
The Internet of Things
This last point just whispers in the ear of the Internet of Things. Available studies indicate that by 2021 there will be more than 48 billion connected devices. One in three IoT accessories already has Bluetooth support, and with the fifth version, that number can only grow.
