Bluetooth codecs are the formats that compress audio so it can travel wirelessly from your phone to your headphones. The codec affects sound quality, delay, and battery life. Both devices must support a codec for it to be used, so the best one is the best one your phone and headphones share.
What a Bluetooth Codec Does
Bluetooth cannot send music in its original form, because it has limited bandwidth. A codec compresses the audio at the sender and decompresses it at the receiver.
Better codecs keep more detail, or use the available bandwidth more efficiently. Your devices pick the best shared codec automatically.
SBC
SBC is the basic codec that every Bluetooth audio device supports. It works everywhere and sounds fine for casual listening.
It keeps less detail than newer codecs and often has more delay.
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AAC
AAC is the codec Apple devices favor, and many other devices support it too. On an iPhone with AAC headphones, it sounds noticeably better than SBC at similar settings.
On some Android phones, AAC performance varies depending on how the phone implements it.
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aptX
aptX is a family of codecs developed by Qualcomm, found on many Android phones and wireless headphones. Variants aim at better quality or lower delay.
It is a solid middle option, with less delay than SBC for video and games.
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LDAC
LDAC is Sony’s high-resolution codec, supported on many Android phones and some headphones. It can send much more data than SBC, which lets it preserve more detail when the connection is strong.
It needs support on both devices and works best close to the phone.
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Which Codec Matters for You
If you use an iPhone, AAC is what you will use, so look for AAC support. On Android, check whether your phone supports aptX or LDAC and whether the headphones do.
For most people, the difference between good codecs is small compared with headphone quality and fit. For wired listening, none of this applies.
See wired vs Bluetooth headphones for the larger comparison, and how to improve headphone sound for other ways to improve it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Devices Support Multiple Bluetooth Codecs?
Most phones support several codecs, and many Android phones support SBC, AAC, and aptX or LDAC. A device uses one codec per connection, picking the best one both sides support. iPhones support SBC and AAC only. Check the specifications for both your phone and headphones.
Can Bluetooth Codecs Affect Battery Life?
Yes, a little. Higher-bitrate codecs move more data and can use more power on both devices, though the effect is usually modest compared with other factors such as noise cancelling.
Do Wired Headphones Use the Same Codecs as Wireless?
No. Wired headphones receive the audio signal directly, so there is no wireless compression. Quality depends on the headphones and the sound chip in your device.
Is There a Noticeable Difference in Voice Call Quality Between Codecs?
Not usually. Phone calls use separate voice codecs designed for speech, not the music codecs. Call quality depends mostly on the headphone microphone and the phone network.
Can I Switch Between Bluetooth Codecs on My Phone?
On many Android phones, yes. You can enable developer options and choose the Bluetooth audio codec manually, as long as the headphones support it. iPhones do not let you choose.
