Bluetooth

1.0

1999

732,2 Kb/s

N/A

10 m

The first Bluetooth specs.
There were deployment issues that kept BT from gaining ground quickly.

1.1

2001

732,2 Kb/s

N/A

10 m

Improvements to reliability and interoperability
mostly backward compatible but not 100%.

1.2

2003

1 Mb/s

N/A

10 m

BT 1.2 (Basic Data Rate) was the first widely used Bluetooth technology.
Adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) helped avoid interference with Wi-Fi and other technologies in the same frequency.
Pairing speed was improved.

2.0

2004

2.1 MB/s

N/A

10 m

Branded as Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), three bit encoding (versus one) increased the data rate from 1 to 3 Mbps (in practice 2.1 Mbps).
Interference handling was improved, and less power was used.

2.1

2007

2.1 MB/s

N/A

10 m

Secure Simple Pairing (SSP) was added to make pairing faster and more secure.
Encryption was made mandatory, security was improved, and less power was used.

3.0

2009

24 MB/s

N/A

10 m

Branded as Bluetooth 3.0 + HS (High Speed), it started the connection via Bluetooth but transmitted data over Wi-Fi.

4.0

2009

3 Mb/s

1 Mb/s

60 m

Introduced low-power Bluetooth Low Energy, branded as "Bluetooth Smart."

4.1

2013

3 Mb/s

1 Mb/s

60 m

More efficient data exchange and better co-existence with LTE frequencies. BT 4.1 maintains connections with less manual intervention, and devices can be both client and hub at the same time, enabling Bluetooth devices to communicate with each other.
Prior to BT 4.1, devices transmitted to a hub either built into the computer or in a stand-alone dongle.

4.2

2014

3 Mb/s

1 Mb/s

60 m

Designed for the Internet of Things (IoT), BT 4.2 increased the payload size in the Bluetooth packet by 10x, dramatically lowering the overhead to yield 2.5 times more data.
The low-power wireless personal area network (WPAN) version of IPv6 (6LoWPAN) is supported, which enables billions of devices to have a unique IP address.
It also supports beacon privacy, which prevents retail shops from sensing a user's presence

5.0

2016

50 Mb/s

2 Mb/s

240 m

A more robust version with extended battery life, BT 5 increased the outdoor transmission range from 50 to 200 meters.
Location services are enhanced because it can convey more information prior to establishing a connection.
The first smartphones to support BT 5 were the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 and X.

5.1

2019

50 Mb/s

2 Mb/s

240 m

More antennas provide greater tracking accuracy, and generic attribute (GATT) profile caching makes pairing quicker by retraining requirements.

5.2

2020

50 Mb/s

2 Mb/s

240 m

LE power control (LEPC) provides adjustable power that can be requested by peer devices. The enhanced attribute protocol (EATT) enables parallel operations between LE clients and servers.

5.3

2021

50 Mb/s

2 Mb/s

240 m

An incremental upgrade, Version 5.3 adds more stability, security and efficiency. Peripherals can list preferred channels with a central device. Previously, only the central device could set channels.

5.4

2023

50 Mb/s

2 Mb/s

240 m

The adoption of version 5.4 of the Bluetooth core specification brings a new set of exciting features available for Bluetooth products and all the advantages they provide.
Two of the major improvements are Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR) and Encrypted Advertising Data.
Together, they enable connectionless, bidirectional, secure communication with thousands of very low-power end nodes in the star topology.

6.0

2024

3 Mb/s

300 m

Bluetooth technology is constantly growing, not only enhancing existing applications but also enabling entirely new use cases through performance improvements and expanded feature sets.
On September 3, 2024, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) unveiled the latest version of Bluetooth^® Core Specification v6.0 (Bluetooth^® Core 6.0).