In a major development for the smartphone industry, both Qualcomm and Mediatek have quietly secured Bluetooth 6.1 certifications for their next-generation host stacks, strongly hinting toward a next-generation chipset in development. This Bluetooth SIG entry is one of the first concrete signs that upcoming Snapdragon and Dimensity chipsets are nearing their final development phases.
What the Certification Reveals
Qualcomm’s listing establishes Bluetooth 6.1 with support for Bluetooth BR/EDR + Low Energy and expanded device compatibility across platforms. This strongly aligns with the expected roadmap for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite chipset.
Recently the SoC launched by the brand, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 does support Bluetooth 6.0.
MediaTek’s new Bluetooth 6.1 Host software stack has just been certified as well, with support for LE Audio, Auracast broadcast audio, and enhanced Channel Sounding (CS) capabilities. This looks directly connected to MediaTek’s next major SoCs, likely the Dimensity 9500 successor.
Why Bluetooth 6.1 Matters
Announced in May 2025, Bluetooth 6.1 is the next big leap in the wireless ecosystem, designed to support:
- Next-generation LE Audio
- Multi-stream audio
- Auracast broadcast
- Longer range, lower latency
- Better indoor location accuracy (via Channel Sounding)
- More reliable multi-device switching
What this means for upcoming smartphones
The arrival of the dual certification suggests that smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, Realme, Oppo, and Nothing could soon begin testing new devices powered by these upcoming processors. These brands usually begin firmware integration once Bluetooth host stacks are finalized.
This is the first time both companies have had Bluetooth 6.1 host stacks certified around the same period, confirming a synchronized push toward major next-generation hardware.
A month back, Samsung’s Exynos chipset (S6568) got listed for the same.
