New Pixel 7 series to support Bluetooth LE Audio (LC3 codec)

31 August 2022
The new codec was introduced with Android 13, but it requires the correct hardware to tap into its benefits.

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Ninomiya, 19 Dec 2022Yea, LC3 is vastly superior to even aptX since it supports ... moreI know I am late to the party, but you do realize 32bit sample rate is pretty much useless and beyond useless when it comes to wireless audio?

    Anonymous, 31 Aug 2022Is LC3 batter than AAC?Yea, LC3 is vastly superior to even aptX since it supports 32-bit sampling.
    https://headphonesaddict.com/bluetooth-codecs/

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      • AnonF-1006353
      • gD$
      • 01 Sep 2022

      Eric20, 01 Sep 2022Why are you referring to MP3 at 128kbps? The standard for M... moreBecause you called a 15 kHz cutoff like a non-issue.. Which definitely occurs with some AAC implementations over bt. And a 128k mp3 does cutoff at 15kHz, got it?

      Full agree on the opus sounding decent at 128k part though, as it does 20 kHz easily.

        AnonF-1006353, 01 Sep 2022You know what else cuts off at 15 kHz? An 128k mp3 file...w... moreWhy are you referring to MP3 at 128kbps? The standard for MP3 itself calls for a minimum of 192kbps to achieve transparency.

        Also, who is still encoding in MP3 at 128 kbps? Either they encode at 320kbps for MP3 or 256 kbps for AAC though for AAC/Opus, you can go down as low as 128 kbps and it is OK for casual listening.

          This is fantastic news. Should make hearing aids work even better!

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            • AnonF-1006353
            • gD$
            • 01 Sep 2022

            Eric20, 31 Aug 2022The high frequency cutoff depends on the manufacturer and a... moreYou know what else cuts off at 15 kHz? An 128k mp3 file...which sounds horrible. Also, I've never experienced such an early cutoff with SBC and I own quite a few bt headphones. But then again, AptX and LDAC sounds smoother.

            AAC implementation from some Android manufacturers is garbage, SBC is half decent and the rest is fine.

            https://www.soundguys.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-bluetooth-headphones-aac-20296/

            So LC3 is quite welcome I guess, it might be an Improvement compared to the weakpoints from SBC and AAC (hopefully).

              Anonymous, 31 Aug 2022Does the codec is hardware dependent? Not really understand... moreNo, the codec is not hardware dependent, but it was made part of the standard BT 5.2 BLE.

              As I said in earlier comment, the advantage of this codec is over SBC when you are very far away from your device or there is a lot of radio interference.

              If you are close to your BT source device, achieving 328 kbps bit rate isn't difficult and there is no advantage in having LC3.

                AnonF-1006353, 31 Aug 2022Opus would've been the best, but at least there is LHD... moreThe high frequency cutoff depends on the manufacturer and affects all codecs not just AAC.

                Also, there are very little harmonics beyond 15kHz(except Cymbals,Violin), so it is not like a lot of musical content is lost.

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                  • DMX
                  • 8xr
                  • 31 Aug 2022

                  If I buy this cell phone that gray color will be mine

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                    • Coki
                    • nyH
                    • 31 Aug 2022

                    Anonymous, 31 Aug 2022no buy? then you will not buy another smartphone ever...sta... moreAsus sony...

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                      • Anonymous
                      • nDy
                      • 31 Aug 2022

                      Anonymous, 31 Aug 2022No headphone jack means no buy anyway even if Bluetooth ran... moreno buy? then you will not buy another smartphone ever...stay under the rock and living in the past

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                        • Anonymous
                        • n1h
                        • 31 Aug 2022

                        No headphone jack means no buy anyway even if Bluetooth range reached as far as the moon! These people don't have basic common sense and knowledge of what convenience means!

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                          • AnonF-1006353
                          • gD$
                          • 31 Aug 2022

                          Eric20, 31 Aug 2022I am not excited about LC3 because Opus/AAC is superior to ... moreOpus would've been the best, but at least there is LHDC on some devices.

                          The AAC implementation or bitrate handshake on some devices is garbage and starts to cutoff as early as 15 kHz.. Better use AptX or LDAC

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                            • Anonymous
                            • tVw
                            • 31 Aug 2022

                            Does the codec is hardware dependent? Not really understand what the article said. Like if I have Samsung Buds Pro, will it be able to use LC3 codec in future firmware update? Or I need to buy newer gen TWS that will have LC3 codec?

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                              • Brad
                              • tDQ
                              • 31 Aug 2022

                              FatShady, 31 Aug 2022basically, it'll require a phone and headphone/earphon... moreI though at least we need 5.2 bluetooth to use this codec.

                                seems bluetooth 5.2 le audio/lc codec provides even more compressed but possibly less lossy compression than 5.0, i like to hear it before deciding if even matches LDAC or APTX HD in terms of sound quality, i am skeptical is won't be as good

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • rJX
                                  • 31 Aug 2022

                                  FatShady, 31 Aug 2022basically, it'll require a phone and headphone/earphon... moreNo one needs this for a while

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • ygB
                                    • 31 Aug 2022

                                    Is LC3 batter than AAC?

                                      I am not excited about LC3 because Opus/AAC is superior to LC3. It is a shame that Opus wasn't made part of Bluetooth standard.

                                      Also, even cheap $10 Chinese TWS support AAC, so we are not going to hear a great difference in audio quality.

                                        [deleted post]Android in general supports pretty much every codec, hires Bluetooth etc. iOS is only limited to AAC and SBC ... this won't really change much in terms of picking brand x over y.
                                        But this change has a potential to improve baseline for TWS, call quality and battery life. And TWS headphones need all the help they can get.

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