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Your Google Pixel just got a secret Hi-Fi audio boost with Android 17
June 22, 2026
- Android 17 finally brings LHDC support to Google Pixel devices.
- The LHDC Bluetooth codec is a widely used alternative to Sony’s LDAC, offering Hi-Res quality.
- With this, Pixels get richer Bluetooth audio output on a range of headphones and earphones, including the Nothing Ear 2 and the OnePlus Buds 4.
The first stable build of Android 17 has recently landed, and it brings a silent audio upgrade to Pixel phones in the form of LHDC support. Short for Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec, LHDC is a Hi-Res Bluetooth codec that aims to match up to LDAC’s promise of Hi-Fi audio, with support for 24-bit/96kHz audio streaming.
For years, LHDC has been available across a range of Android devices from brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and OnePlus. LHDC has also been part of the open-source framework (AOSP, or the Android Open-Source Project) since Android 10, but Google’s own Pixel devices lacked support until recently. However, the Redditor Ok_Raisin7155 recently noticed LHDC support on their Pixel 9 Pro following the stable rollout of Android 17.
While non-Google devices, especially those with newer Snapdragon chips, have had access to aptX (including its richer Lossless and Adaptive variants), Pixel phones have been limited to AAC or LDAC on certain supported devices — even though Qualcomm open-sourced aptX encoders more than three years ago. With LHDC, the list of supported devices becomes a tad longer, bringing earbuds such as Nothing Ear 2, OnePlus Buds 4, and OnePlus Buds Pro 3 to the fold. Savitech, the creator of LHDC, shares the entire list of supported headsets here.
Aamir Siddiqui, editor at our sister site Android Authority, confirmed that the options to choose LHDCv5 and 96kHz output now exist on his Pixel 9 Pro XL running stable Android 17. Aamir was also able to demonstrate it using a pair of the OnePlus Buds 3 Pro.
Savitech had also announced in March that LHDCv5 would be natively supported on all devices running Android 17, and would not be limited to Pixel devices.
LHDC’s latest version, v5.0, supports a 192kHz sample rate alongside the existing 1Mbps bitrate, but it currently tops out at 96kHz on Pixel devices, likely to prioritize stability and fast data transfer. The differences are too nuanced to notice anyway, but if you absolutely want to enjoy the richer audio quality, you might as well treat yourself to a DAC and a pair of wired headphones or earbuds with a near-flat frequency response.
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