Galaxy Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra feature Bluetooth 6.0

Samsung just launched the Galaxy Tab S12+ and Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra alongside the Galaxy SmartTag 3. Both tablets bring multiple upgrades over their predecessors, the Galaxy Tab S10+ and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. One of them is a newer version of Bluetooth.

While the Galaxy Tab S10+ and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra featured Bluetooth 5.3 and Bluetooth 5.4, respectively, the Galaxy Tab S12+ and Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra come with Bluetooth 6.0. On paper, it may seem like a small change, but in real life, it offers many benefits.

One of the biggest upgrades Bluetooth 6.0 offers over Bluetooth 5.4 is Channel Sounding. It allows compatible devices to measure the distance between each other with significantly greater precision. Under suitable conditions, it can provide centimeter-level accuracy, similar to UWB.

This means the Galaxy Tab S12 series can locate compatible devices, such as the Galaxy SmartTag 3 and other location trackers and other compatible devices, with much greater precision.

Bluetooth 6.0 also brings improvements to make Bluetooth communication more efficient.

First, there is Decision-Based Advertising Filtering (DBAF), which allows devices to avoid scanning for unnecessary advertising packets, potentially reducing unnecessary activity and making device discovery more efficient.

Second, you get Monitoring Advertisers, which makes it more efficient for a device to monitor whether another Bluetooth device remains within range, potentially improving power efficiency.

Bluetooth 6.0 also improves latency and reliability for certain Bluetooth LE Audio applications. The new standard enhances the Isochronous Adaptation Layer (ISOAL), which can reduce latency and improve reliability in supported use cases.

It also introduces more flexible timing between Bluetooth transmissions, allowing connected devices to negotiate the spacing between packets and potentially communicate more efficiently.

Overall, Bluetooth 6.0 brings improvements to ranging, location accuracy, device discovery, latency, power efficiency, and reliability for certain Bluetooth LE Audio use cases.

On paper, it may seem like a minor upgrade, but these improvements can make the Galaxy Tab S12 series more useful in everyday life, whether you're connecting to Bluetooth accessories, locating compatible devices, or listening to audio wirelessly.