Will iPhone 7 Have Bluetooth aptX Audio Technology Like Samsung Galaxy S7 And Galaxy Note 7?
The iPhone 7 (and iPhone 7 Plus) are about to be released, and the consensus is that these phones will not have a traditional headphone jack. Time has the news.
“The fate of a hole smaller than the head of a thumbtack has been stirring a heated debate among technology fans in recent months. That hole, of course, is the headphone jack — which, if the recent reports are to be believed, will be missing from Apple’s next iPhone.”
This has caused a lot of controversy and a huge opportunity for Samsung to mock the new iPhone’s lack of traditional headphone jack. Mac Rumors reports on Samsung’s recent event.
“At an event in New York today, Samsung unveiled several new products, including its latest smartphone, the Galaxy Note7. When showing off the phone’s features, Samsung execs made it a point to mock Apple and the upcoming iPhone 7, which rumors suggest will not include a headphone jack”
“People also bi**hed about the removal of a CD drive on MacBooks, not supporting flash on iPhone, not including flash in OS X, etc., etc. People will get over it,” claims iBreatheApple.
“It’s only a matter of time before Samsung removes their headphone jacks in favor of Bluetooth. Cords are going to seem dated in a few short years. For anyone that wants a direct connection for quality/battery reasons, there will always be lightning/micro USB adapters,” says Tronic.
Since Apple is going full-on wireless, many people want to know if the Cupertino company will finally include aptX Bluetooth streaming technology, which allows for better sound.
CSR, the company who created aptX, has information about the codec on its website.
“AptX® audio technology delivers CD-like quality audio over a Bluetooth® connection. It’s a key product differentiator in over 320 leading audio brands for headphones, headsets, automotive audio, speakers, mobile devices, gaming products and as part of Home Entertainment Ecosystems, where a true audiophile experience is paramount.”
The site then goes on to explain that Bluetooth audio is compressed, but aptX compresses the sound in a way that still produces the same quality sound as wired technology. However, CNET isn’t sure how much of a difference aptX makes. Columnist Geoffrey Morrison says that even though aptX promises “CD-like” quality sound over Bluetooth, the comparison is very suspect and vague.
It’s quite interesting that, perhaps, the most popular headphones producer, Bose, doesn’t include aptX technology in their devices. However, the new QuietComfort 35 has Apple’s AAC Bluetooth codec, which some say works better than aptX. Unfortunately, only Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad have this codec. To prove it works, many have tried to use the Bose QC35 with both the iPhone and Galaxy S7 and have noticed these headphones sound noticeably better on the iPhone.
It may be a smart idea for Apple to make the upcoming iPhone 7 compatible with the aptX codec, especially given the relatively low sales of the current generation of iPhones. If the iPhone 7 has both AAC and aptX, it will be compatible with just about every Bluetooth headset that allows for high-quality streaming. Are you going to buy the iPhone 7, and, if so, do you think it’s important they include aptX streaming? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
[Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images]
