Samsung patents the use of UWB in Bluetooth headphones

Samsung Electronics has filed a new patent application in the United States, which indicates the development of wireless headphones with Ultra-wideband (UWB) support. This technology, which is significantly superior to Bluetooth in terms of transmission speed and signal accuracy, could be an important step in the development of personal audio devices.
What we know about the patent
The patent number US 2025/0039604 A1, dated 30 January 2025, describes the use of Bluetooth only for the initial connection between an audio source (such as a smartphone or tablet) and the headphones. Once the connection is established, the data transmission is switched to UWB. This solution provides audio transmission with higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional Bluetooth connections.

Illustration for patent US 2025/0039604 A1, джерело: Відомство США з питань патентів і торговельних марок
How it should work
First, the first earbud connects to your phone or other device via Bluetooth. Then, if the device supports a special fast Ultra Wide Band (UWB) connection, the first and second earbuds are connected to it separately via this connection. This ensures that each earbud receives the sound directly from the source, which improves sound quality and makes the connection more stable.
About UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology
UWB (Ultra Wide Band) is a short-range wireless data transmission technology that uses a wide range of frequencies. It provides high speed data transmission with minimal latency and power consumption. Unlike Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, UWB is capable of pinpointing the location of devices to within a few centimetres, making it popular in navigation, tracking and smart devices. The main applications of UWB are headphones, smart tags, contactless payments and smart homes. Thanks to stable and fast connections, this technology is being actively implemented in modern electronics.
Why It Matters
UWB-enabled headphones can deliver better sound quality without the tearing or interference that often occurs with Bluetooth connections in crowded places. In addition, UWB has lower power consumption, which increases the battery life of the device. However, for this application, UWB must be supported by the smartphone or other device used as an audio source. Currently, most modern smartphones already support UWB, and Tesla has recently Tesla will add Ultra-Wide Band support to its Android app.
When to expect the introduction of UWB in headphones
Samsung has not officially announced UWB-enabled headphones, but this patent may indicate plans to integrate this technology, for example, into one of the future Galaxy Buds models. Usually, it takes several years from the filing of a patent application to the implementation in a mass-produced product. Therefore, the optimistic forecast for the release of such headphones is the end of 2025, and the pessimistic forecast is 2026-2027.
Source: US Patent and Trademark Office