Finally, hi-res Bluetooth on your iPhone: this cheap, tiny dongle adds aptX Adaptive and LDAC to any USB-C device

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From FiiO, our favorite budget audiophile brand

FiiO BT11 dongle next to an iPhone showing the FiiO app
(Image credit: FiiO)

FiiO, a new player in the audio game that's in the pleasing habit of delivering superb products at low prices, has just announced the first USB-C hi-res Bluetooth add-on that supports aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), Snapdragon Sound, and Sony's LDAC wireless tech and works with iPhone (as well as all kinds of other USB-C devices).

So if you've got an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16, plus a pair of the best wireless headphones that support these higher-quality Bluetooth options (up to 24-bit/96kHz) – which is, at the premium level, basically all of them expect the AirPods Max – then you can finally unlock the extra dynamic range and detail of your lossless Apple Music or Tidal subscription.

We've seen USB-C dongles add this kind of tech before, but four key things make the FiiO immediately stand out: the small size compared to the best wireless DACs, so you can attach it to your phone and forget about it; the support for aptX, Snapdragon Sound and LDAC, covering 99% of the biggest headphones options (and FiiO says Bluetooth LE Audio support for the LC3 codec is planned in an update); support for multi-point pairing; and the price of just £42 / $44 (about AU$82).

FiiO BT11 dongles in black and silver

(Image credit: FiiO)

We've seen an even tinier and cheaper option than this in the form of the Creative BT-W3, but it's less elegant-looking and doesn't support aptX in its Adaptive flavor or LDAC.

Inside the FiiO BT11 is a "flagship" Qualcomm chip, which FiiO says offers "a quad-core processor architecture and two 240MHz Qualcomm Kalimba audio DSPs." You can use an app to control the device and to enable multi-point pairing, and the app will be able to update the BT11 in the future. FiiO says you can expect "the LC3 Codec, volume adjustment, indicator light control, channel balance adjustment, and pairing lists" to be added in the future. Though I always recommend that you buy something based on the features it has now, not on promises

The reason we're so hot on FiiO here on TR should be obvious if you've read our five-star FiiO FT5 review, our five-star FiiO R9 review, our 4.5-star FiiO M11S review, or our 4.5-star FiiO M23 review. They're all as good as as products that cost a ton more when it comes to audio quality – the bang for your buck is just outrageous.

So it's great to have that in a dongle that can connect to the best phones, laptops, PS5s, Nintendo Switches…, and all kinds of stuff and bring the best wireless audio quality you can get. iPhone-loving wireless audiophiles, your long nightmare is probably over.

FiiO

(Image credit: FiiO BT11 dongle attached to an iPhone with some earbuds nearby)

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Matt Bolton
Matt Bolton
Managing Editor, Entertainment

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he's in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It's a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.