Today, we’ll talk about the rarer, but extremely promising LC3. What is this beast and where is it used? How does it differ from SBC and other codecs? Let’s find out.
Contents:
- What is a codec?
- What is LC3?
- Where is LC3 supported?
- How LC3 Works
- What types of LC3 are there?
- Other advantages of LC3 .
What is a codec?
Let’s recap the basics for those visiting for the first time. Simply put, Bluetooth is wires, and a codec is the metal strands inside those wires and the connectors at their ends. A codec is both the “language” of communication between the audio transmitter and the headphones and a standard for the quality of that communication.
Bluetooth allows sound to be transmitted from a smartphone to headphones. A codec, however, is responsible for how it’s transmitted. Thanks to the codec, the headphones understand what the smartphone is transmitting and how to play it. Of course, this metaphor is oversimplified, but it provides an understanding of how wireless audio works.
A codec is also needed to adjust the amount of transmitted audio data to the capabilities of the devices. Modern Bluetooth is not yet capable of transmitting “purely” decoded music—so-called CD quality—so codecs are responsible for reducing data volume and compete with each other in compression efficiency with minimal loss of quality.
What is LC3?
LC3 stands for Low Complexity Communication Codec. It was invented by Ericsson and Frauhofer IIS and approved by the Bluetooth SIG consortium as the base and mandatory codec for the next generation of Bluetooth LE Audio wireless audio.
Essentially, LC3 replaces the rather old and low-tech SBC, which has been the default for most Bluetooth audio devices since 2003—when the market was still dominated not by TWS headphones, but by the totemic single-ear A2DP Bluetooth headsets.
Where is LC3 supported?
You might be surprised, but LC3 has been present in a wide variety of devices for quite some time. For example, it is present in most modern flagships running Android 13+, with chipsets from Qualcomm and MediaTek, and is also supported by Apple devices. The main requirement for its operation is Bluetooth 5.2 or later, as well as the LE Audio protocol on both devices (the sound source and receiver). Examples of such smartphones and tablets:
Samsung: Galaxy S23, S24, S25, Galaxy Z Fold / Z Flip 4 and later, Galaxy Tab S9 / S10 series
Google Pixel: Pixel 7, Pixel 8, and Pixel 9 series
OnePlus: OnePlus 11, 12, 13 and later
Xiaomi: flagship Xiaomi 13, 14, 15 and related T-series.
Examples of headphones with LC3:
- Marshall Major V.Audeze Maxwell (supports the Hi-Res LC3plus modification via the included USB dongle)
- Sony: WF-1000XM5, LinkBuds S, INZONE Buds, WH-1000XM6 / WH-1000XM5 (support LE Audio via firmware update)
- Samsung: Galaxy Buds2 Pro, Buds3 Pro
- JBL: Tour Pro 3, Endurance Peak 4
- EarFun: Air Pro 3, Air Pro 4
- Creative: Aurvana Ace / Ace 2, Zen Air Pro
- OnePlus Buds Pro 2
- Moondrop: Space Travel, Golden Ages.
Regarding Apple devices. Starting with iOS/iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura, the company partially implemented LC3 in its devices, but only for voice calls (HFP profile). Listening to music through it from an iPhone is not possible. As for hardware support, it is present on…
- iPhone 14 and newer,
- iPads with Silicon M chips,
- iPad mini 7
- Mac and Macbook with M2 chips and later
- AirPods 4 / Pro 2 / Max
In short, the codec isn’t very widespread yet, but it’s present on a fairly wide range of devices. But is it even worth looking for or paying attention to? How does it work, and what’s so great about it?
How LC3 Works
Photo: Unsplash
LC3 operates on a similar principle to other codecs—it’s a psychoacoustic model that removes frequencies from the audio stream that most people won’t hear. LC3’s unique feature is that it does this with minimal CPU load, meaning it consumes less power.
Unlike SBC, which divides audio into long fragments, LC3 slices the audio stream into microscopic packets—frames lasting only 7.5 ms or 10 ms. This reduces audio latency, as smaller packets are transmitted faster. The sound wave is then divided into low, mid, and high frequencies, and the codec identifies where the block overlaps by more than 50% to prevent distortion. The
codec then analyzes the audio track and identifies which sounds can be removed to lighten it. For example, a quiet drum sound is masked by others; most ears won’t hear it, meaning it can be discarded like ballast from a balloon. Next, the encoder allocates more bits to frequencies critical to perception and further obscures background and hard-to-discern sounds.
And now comes the most interesting part. During wireless data transmission in environments “noisy” by other devices, some packets are inevitably lost. The codec fills in the missing track elements itself, focusing on adjacent sections. As a result, the user hears no interruptions or stuttering, but only slightly less detailed audio for fractions of a second.
LC3’s main advantage over SBC is its more flexible removal of “unnecessary” audio from tracks to simplify them. SBC uses a coarse division into 4 or 8 frequency bands, while LC3 works with a continuous, high-resolution spectrum. It also packs the same amount of data into a much lower bitrate, meaning it consumes less energy.
What types of LC3 are there?
The main characteristics of the codec are as follows:
- Bitrate: from 16 to 345 kbps per channel (SBC 240–345 kbps)
- Sampling: 8, 16, 24, 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz
- Depth: 16, 24 or 32 bits
- Latency: 7.5 – 10 ms (SBC up to 200 ms).
There’s also a high-res version called LC3plus . The Japan Audio Society licensed it as Hi-Res Audio Wireless. The codec operates at 96 kHz with 24/32 bits, making it technically a lossless format. It can be considered a direct competitor to LDAC and aptX Adaptive, while requiring no licensing or royalty payments to its creators.
Other advantages of the LC3
- Compression efficiency and audio quality. It delivers twice the audio quality at the same bitrate compared to SBC. For example, at a bitrate of 160 kbps, LC3 sounds cleaner and more detailed than SBC at its maximum 345 kbps.
- Energy saving. This benefit stems from the previous one: up to half as much data is transmitted, meaning the radio chip in the headphones and smartphone consumes significantly less energy. This means either the devices will last twice as long on a single charge, or the headphone battery can be halved in size, benefiting from the driver size or compact housing.
- Auracast. LC3 lets you stream audio from one source (like a TV in a sports bar or a speaker at an airport) to an unlimited number of headphones nearby.
- Native multistreaming. In SBC, one earbud is the “master” and sends audio to the other, while LE Audio with the LC3 codec sends independent, synchronized streams to the left and right ears separately.
- Interference resistance. In environments with numerous wireless devices and noisy airwaves, the LC3 smoothly reduces bitrate instead of stuttering or dropping out.
- Low latency. It’s always at a gaming-grade 20–30 ms.
Clearly, SBC is outdated and has served its purpose. The future lies with “smart” standards and codecs like LC3, which intelligently separate the wheat from the chaff and adapt to modern realities.
