Looking for a low latency Bluetooth codec? This page compiles every published, independently measured latency figure, with each number tied to its measurement program, rig and date. The four standard music codecs measured on one Android rig land between 308 and 369 ms; RTINGS' bench puts truly wireless SBC at 259.8 ms and its aptX Adaptive low-latency mode below 80 ms, against a 13 ms wired USB reference. Official design targets sit separately at approximately 40 and 80 ms. No number here is ours: every row cites the program that measured it.
Figures on this page were checked September 2026. Every table row carries its source and access date, and no number on this page is our own measurement.
Sources and methodology
Two independent programs supply the measured rows below. Neither uses headphones as the measuring device, and both publish their rig details.
| Program | Rig and scope | Published / accessed |
|---|---|---|
| RTINGS latency research (Test Bench 1.6) | Relative delay between two controlled loops; multiple codecs and connections across 27 headphones; USB dongle as source for low-latency codec modes | Live research page, accessed 2026-09-22 |
| SoundGuys Android latency test | Four Android phones feeding a Bluetooth receiver, timed with Teensy LC + WALT instrumentation; seven codec bars in the averages chart | Published 2021-03-06, accessed 2026-09-22 |
The inclusion rule is strict: a row appears only if a named program published the number, and official design targets sit in their own table instead of among the measurements.
Measured latency by codec
| Codec / mode | Measured | Conditions | Source / as of |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBC | 308 ms average | Four Android phones, receiver + instrumentation rig | SoundGuys, 2026-09-22 |
| SBC, truly wireless earbuds | "259.8 ms. However, this is only obtained from five products, one of which is noticeably higher than the others." | RTINGS bench, earbud device class | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| aptX (classic) | 316 ms average, 25.7 ms typical variance | Same four-phone rig | SoundGuys, 2026-09-22 |
| aptX Adaptive (Low Latency mode) | "<80 ms is appreciably low" | RTINGS bench verdict; measured from a BT-W5 USB dongle, which its authors suggest is more efficient than a smartphone | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| LDAC | 324 ms average | Same four-phone rig | SoundGuys, 2026-09-22 |
| AAC | 369 ms average | Same four-phone rig | SoundGuys, 2026-09-22 |
| aptX HD | Chart bar only; no text average | Seventh-bar entry in the averages chart; the article text prints no aptX HD number | SoundGuys, 2026-09-22 |
For context, Qualcomm publishes design targets, not bench claims, for its low-latency forms:
| Official design target | Value | Source / as of |
|---|---|---|
| aptX Low Latency | Approximately 40 ms | aptX LL official page, 2026-09-22 |
| aptX Adaptive | Low system latency, approximately 80 ms | aptX Adaptive official page, 2026-09-22 |
Design targets describe a reference chain, not a product class; the aptX LL profile documents what the official figure is anchored to.
Chain-class reference points
The connection type moves the number as much as the codec does. RTINGS' bench carries these reference classes:
| Chain class | Measured | Conditions | Source / as of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wired USB | 13 ms | Audeze Maxwell Wireless, relative latency with recording delay subtracted | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| Wireless dongle | 23 ms | Same headset, same method | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| Gaming headphones on dongles | Spread of 22 to 42 ms, "not significant enough to exclude any of these" | Gaming-headphone device class | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| Gaming headsets, SBC | 170.3 ms average | Six headsets retested to date | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| Non-gaming, non-earbud headphones, SBC | 257.6 ms average | "The seven we've tested so far for non-gaming non-earbuds" | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| Truly wireless earbuds, SBC | 259.8 ms average | Five products, small-sample caveat in the source | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
The gap between 23 ms and 170.3 ms is the dongle story in one column: a dedicated 2.4 GHz link beats any Bluetooth codec chain, and even gaming headsets running SBC sit far from the dongle class.
Coverage and gaps
| Codec | Bench status | Source / as of |
|---|---|---|
| aptX Low Latency | Retired: Test Bench 1.6 "Replaced aptX-LL with aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)"; the not-covered list adds "superseded by Adaptive" | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| aptX HD | Dropped from the RTINGS bench; SoundGuys prints no text average, its chart carries the bar | RTINGS + SoundGuys, 2026-09-22 |
| aptX Lossless | On the RTINGS not-covered list | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| AAC | "No AAC latency measurements" is listed as a bench limitation; an AirPods Pro 2 result of around 45 ms on macOS is treated as suspected audio compensation, not a codec figure | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
| LHDC/LLAC, LC3/LC3plus, Samsung Scalable Codec | On the not-covered list, attributed to a lack of PC transmitters or being superseded by newer implementations | RTINGS, 2026-09-22 |
The absences are informative: the two programs converge on the standard music codecs and leave the newest and rarest forms unmeasured. Device detail changes the reading too, RTINGS calls the Pixel Buds Pro "terrible" for SBC and describes most aptX implementations of any form as reasonably consistent, and SoundGuys logged phone-to-phone swings of 244 to 484 ms. Per-codec archives live in the SBC, aptX, AAC and LDAC profiles; iPhone sources stay on AAC and SBC, per our iPhone compatibility page.
FAQ
They measured different things. SoundGuys ran four Android phones into a Bluetooth receiver and instrumentation, which produced the 308 ms average, while RTINGS measured products on its own bench and averaged five truly wireless earbud models at 259.8 ms. Implementation varies by product, RTINGS calls the Pixel Buds Pro "terrible" for SBC, so a codec has a latency class, not one guaranteed number.
The dongle class: RTINGS measured 13 ms over wired USB and 23 ms over a wireless dongle on the Audeze Maxwell Wireless, and the gaming-headphone dongle spread runs 22 to 42 ms. Among Bluetooth codecs on that bench, the aptX Adaptive low-latency mode is described as appreciably low at under 80 ms, while standard music codecs averaged at least 170 ms across device classes, and 250 ms or more on phone and earbud rigs.
The benches retired it. RTINGS replaced aptX LL with the aptX Adaptive low-latency mode at Test Bench 1.6 and lists it as superseded, and the SoundGuys chart carries no LL entry. The approximately 40 ms figure for aptX LL is an official design target, not a bench result; our aptX LL profile keeps the full record.
Treat them as the class, not a promise. SoundGuys logged phone-to-phone swings of 244 to 484 ms on the same codecs, and RTINGS describes most aptX implementations as reasonably consistent while flagging outlier products. A low latency Bluetooth codec also helps only when both ends support it; the fixes for a laggy chain are in our Bluetooth audio delay guide.
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- RTINGS, "Test Bench 1.6 - Latency: R&D Article": 27-headphone methodology; "The average SBC latency of truly wireless earbuds is 259.8 ms. However, this is only obtained from five products, one of which is noticeably higher than the others."; "The six gaming headsets we've retested so far have an average SBC latency of 170.3 ms"; "the average SBC latency of the seven we've tested so far for non-gaming non-earbuds is 257.6 ms"; "We measured 13 ms via wired USB and 23 ms via wireless dongle" (Audeze Maxwell Wireless, relative latency); "We don't consider the spread from 22 ms to 42 ms significant" (gaming headphones); "<80 ms is appreciably low" (aptX Adaptive Low Latency); "the newer BT-W5 dongle we use is more efficient than the smartphone"; Test Bench 1.6 "Replaced aptX-LL with aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)"; not-covered list (LHDC/LLAC, LC3/LC3plus, aptX HD, aptX-LL, aptX Lossless, Samsung Scalable Codec); "No AAC latency measurements"; AirPods Pro 2 around 45ms on macOS suspected audio compensation; "most implementations of aptX (any form) should be reasonably consistent and predictable"; "For SBC, the Google Pixel Buds Pro Truly Wireless are terrible." rtings.com/headphones/learn/research/latency, accessed 2026-09-22
- SoundGuys, "Android's Bluetooth latency needs a serious overhaul": averages across four Android phones SBC 308 ms, aptX 316 ms, LDAC 324 ms, AAC 369 ms; aptX typical variance 25.7 ms; phone results spanning 244-484 ms; average-latency chart carries seven codec bars including aptX HD, with no aptX LL entry; measured with a Bluetooth receiver and instrumentation, not headphones; published 2021-03. soundguys.com/android-bluetooth-latency-22732/, accessed 2026-09-22
- Qualcomm aptX Low Latency official page: latency of approximately 40ms (key feature and technical specification). aptx.com/aptx-low-latency, accessed 2026-09-22
- Qualcomm aptX Adaptive official page: "Low system latency approx. 80ms". aptx.com/aptx-adaptive, accessed 2026-09-22
- SoundGuys, Bluetooth codec support for headphones: "iPhones only support the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs." soundguys.com/bluetooth-codec-support-headphones-61989/, accessed 2026-09-22