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Bluetooth 4.0 vs 4.1?

P

PokerGuy

Lifer
I've seen lots of reviews and sites talking about all sorts of features of phones, but rarely (if ever) is there much discussion about bluetooth 4.0 vs 4.1.

A quick search on google shows what the main differences are, and they look rather significant to me, though I'm obviously not an expert. Some of the newer phones (like the note 4) ship with bluetooth 4.1 support, while most others ship with 4.0 support. Is that something that is software/firmware updateable , or is a device with 4.0 support going to be permanently limited to bluetooth 4.0 support?
 
PokerGuy said:
I've seen lots of reviews and sites talking about all sorts of features of phones, but rarely (if ever) is there much discussion about bluetooth 4.0 vs 4.1.

A quick search on google shows what the main differences are, and they look rather significant to me, though I'm obviously not an expert. Some of the newer phones (like the note 4) ship with bluetooth 4.1 support, while most others ship with 4.0 support. Is that something that is software/firmware updateable , or is a device with 4.0 support going to be permanently limited to bluetooth 4.0 support?
Click to expand...

It will be limited to 4.0 support.

Nexus 9 ships with 4.1 as well.
 
thebigbolgna said:
It will be limited to 4.0 support.

Nexus 9 ships with 4.1 as well.
Click to expand...

If indeed a device that supports BT 4.0 can't be updated by firmware or software to support 4.1, wouldn't that make BT 4.1 support (or lack thereof) be a pretty important thing to consider in evaluating the phone and comparing different options? Maybe I'm just completely off base with this, because I don't see more than a mere mention of what BT version is supported in any reviews, no discussion at all.
 
PokerGuy said:
wouldn't that make BT 4.1 support (or lack thereof) be a pretty important thing to consider in evaluating the phone and comparing different options?
Click to expand...

Ok, now I feel like I am missing something:

What is so important about Bluetooth 4.1 vs 4.0 that it might make or break a phone decision?

I mean, all the wearable devices don't care. All my bluetooth accessories don't care. What killer feature does the .1 offer?
 
poofyhairguy said:
Ok, now I feel like I am missing something:

What is so important about Bluetooth 4.1 vs 4.0 that it might make or break a phone decision?

I mean, all the wearable devices don't care. All my bluetooth accessories don't care. What killer feature does the .1 offer?
Click to expand...

This.

What's so essential about 4.1? 4.0 I could understand as that had the low power energy savings.
 
WelshBloke said:
It's all about the wearables.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/bluetooth-4-1-what-is-it-and-why-should-you-care
Click to expand...

That seems like a bunch of stuff that sounds great but developers can't implement because so few devices support those features within the lifetime of your device. From what I understand Android Wear doesn't even require Bluetooth 4.0. I don't see any device maker requiring Bluetooth 4.1 for a must-have device within the two year life of a phone.
 
poofyhairguy said:
That seems like a bunch of stuff that sounds great but developers can't implement because so few devices support those features within the lifetime of your device. From what I understand Android Wear doesn't even require Bluetooth 4.0. I don't see any device maker requiring Bluetooth 4.1 for a must-have device within the two year life of a phone.
Click to expand...
I don't think that 4.0 and 4.1 are mutually exclusive. Ideally stuff should work on 4.0 and 4.1, it'll just work betterer on 4.1.
Like developers don't have to code for lte over 3g.

Also there's the whole 4.0 hardware should be able to run 4.1 thing.
 
poofyhairguy said:
Ok, now I feel like I am missing something:

What is so important about Bluetooth 4.1 vs 4.0 that it might make or break a phone decision?

I mean, all the wearable devices don't care. All my bluetooth accessories don't care. What killer feature does the .1 offer?
Click to expand...

This has a pretty good summary: http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/bluetooth-4-1-what-is-it-and-why-should-you-care

I'm not sure if I would call any of that a killer must have feature, and I don't think I'd look at 4.0 vs 4.1 as a deal breaker, but rather a tie-braker. It you're looking at phones that meet all your needs and tick all the "must have" boxes, 4.1 support vs no 4.1 support is a differentiator.

Of course, that's assuming 4.0 devices can't be upgraded to support 4.1 by a software update. I'm not sure if that's the case.
 
PokerGuy said:
I've seen lots of reviews and sites talking about all sorts of features of phones, but rarely (if ever) is there much discussion about bluetooth 4.0 vs 4.1.

A quick search on google shows what the main differences are, and they look rather significant to me, though I'm obviously not an expert. Some of the newer phones (like the note 4) ship with bluetooth 4.1 support, while most others ship with 4.0 support. Is that something that is software/firmware updateable , or is a device with 4.0 support going to be permanently limited to bluetooth 4.0 support?
Click to expand...

I wish some companies such as Bose would specify what bluetooth protocall is needed for their devices. My Samsung Tab will not link up to their Soundlink speakers
 
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