Pixel 10 phones introduce Bluetooth 6, bringing improved connection stability, lower power use, and stronger links. Bluetooth 6 adds Channel Sounding, a time-of-flight positioning method that measures signal travel time instead of relying on signal strength. Channel Sounding enables much more precise distance estimates between two compatible devices, potentially providing centimeter-level location accuracy and finer situational alerts (for example, pinpointing a device wedged in couch cushions). Adoption will be slow because both communicating devices must support Bluetooth 6. Two Pixel devices are currently compatible, offering an early but limited path to these capabilities.
Google's Pixel 10 smartphones debuted with plenty of noteworthy features, including native magnetic wireless charging, an industry-first IP68 dust- and waterproof foldable phone design, and more intuitive AI features. The Pixel 10 smartphone lineup also debuts Bluetooth 6, making them the first smartphones in the US with the latest Bluetooth connectivity standard. In addition to improving wireless connections' stability, power consumption, and strength, Bluetooth 6 introduces Channel Sounding, which makes device location tracking more accurate. Despite its 2024 release, Bluetooth 6 and Channel Sounding are in the painfully slow adoption process.
Channel Sounding builds on Bluetooth LE's positioning technology to enable two devices to establish the distance between them. Currently, Bluetooth devices use signal strength to determine distance, but Channel Sounding measures the time it takes for the signal to travel. This more secure and accurate method provides device location information down to the centimeter. Current Bluetooth-enabled device tracking can tell you where your device is, in a general sense, but Channel Sounding should be able to alert you that your device is within 10 feet and low-lying to the right, wedged between your couch cushions.
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