Ever since wireless technology has become a norm, tech innovations for improved versions of data exchange platforms now seem unstoppable. There may even come a time when just thinking about a file will allow you to share it with the person you want. Though that may take many years if we focus on wireless technology today, Bluetooth and Airdrop are two evergreen technologies that have made our lives so much easier.
Why evergreen, you may ask. Yes, there are many Airdrop alternatives available in the market. The same goes for Bluetooth. However, the easy and hassle-free transfers these technologies offer remain unmatched compared to other applications and software.
When it comes to comparing Bluetooth and AirDrop, you should know that they also differ in application, transfer speed, and technology. Both have their positives and negatives. Though Airdrop is faster than Bluetooth in file transferring, Bluetooth consumes less device battery than Airdrop. Now, this may intrigue you to understand the details and differences between the two technologies. So, without any further ado, let’s break down Bluetooth and Airdrop to understand the core difference between the two.
You most likely use Bluetooth frequently if you have an iPhone. There are just two options left for audiophiles because iPhones no longer come with dedicated headphone jacks: give up your charging port, buy an adaptor, or use a Bluetooth headset.
According to recent trends, individuals are increasingly selecting the latter choice due to its convenience. Although practically everyone uses Bluetooth on a daily basis, few tech-savvy people are familiar with how the technology works.
Given how simple it is to connect and how convenient it is, Bluetooth is extremely easy to use. However, if you look closer, you’ll be shocked at how much data it needs to analyze in the background before approving a connection.
In order to communicate, two Bluetooth devices must use radio waves at predetermined frequencies. Although these radio waves are very battery-efficient, they do not support simultaneous transfers of significant amounts of data.
Even if you’re not paying attention, the majority of your devices already use Bluetooth. To transfer files or use the phone’s cellular data, you can use Bluetooth to link your phone to your computer. Bluetooth tethering is also an option.
There are two different Bluetooth technologies, but the one that is installed on your iPhone is Bluetooth LE, which is renowned for being battery-friendly. It’s a little bit slower than the other Bluetooth standard, though.
When it comes to Airdrop, it comes with no new technologies. Instead, it improves upon existing technologies having issues to provide an easier data transfer to users that works more efficiently.
Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth are used by Airdrop to enable transfers. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise because using Airdrop to transmit files always requires you to have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled.
Although it is technically possible to deliver a file over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct alone, both methods have glaring limitations. You can already infer from the preceding section that Bluetooth’s main drawback is its intolerably slow rates.
Wi-Fi fixes the speed issue but depletes the battery more quickly. You must keep Airdrop enabled in order to use it conveniently. If you leave it turned on; your phone will continuously scan for available connections and be prepared to deliver data packets carrying your hash to anyone eager to submit a file.
On Wi-Fi, that process will go flawlessly, but you’ll experience severe battery losses. Nobody, not even Apple, has been able to figure out how to make Wi-Fi Direct as effective as Bluetooth with batteries.
Apple employs Bluetooth for this procedure to maximize efficiency. However, once the connection has been made, Airdrop will immediately switch to Wi-Fi Direct to transmit the file. This makes Airdrop great because it strikes a balance between energy efficiency and speed.
Airdrop is your best option if you’re looking to transfer files between two iOS, iPad, or macOS-powered devices. However, Bluetooth works best for routine chores like starting Airdrop connections and transferring music to Bluetooth speakers.
It’s simple to assume Airdrop uses Bluetooth technology because you must enable Bluetooth in order to deliver a file using Airdrop. Even while the majority of people like to think of Airdrop as Apple’s Bluetooth, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
While Wi-Fi Direct, a Wi-Fi protocol that enables two devices to connect via Wi-Fi without the usage of a third-party router, is used for the majority of file transfers, Airdrop relies on the assistance of Bluetooth to function.
Without the aid of Bluetooth, a device can locate nearby devices using the Wi-Fi Direct connection protocol and connect to them. It isn’t efficient, though, as battery life is severely impacted.
On the other hand, Bluetooth, like Wi-Fi Direct, is also able to transfer data. However, its speed is a serious weakness. Bluetooth can only be used for simple activities like conveying audio because file transfers are so painfully slow on Bluetooth, unlike Wi-Fi.
In summary, Wi-Fi is an incredibly fast technology, but your battery will suffer as a result. While Bluetooth is an effective technology, no one will want to use it because of its poor pace.
Apple developed Airdrop to combine the effectiveness of Bluetooth and the speed of Wi-Fi. Because of Apple’s superiority, Airdrop was skillfully designed to be both quick and effective, giving it a better alternative than the majority of other technologies on the market.
Bluetooth only aids in establishing the connection when you attempt to share a file using Airdrop. Here, Airdrop starts the Bluetooth connection, which causes nearby iPhone users to get notifications and respond with their own hashes.
For the remainder of the transfer, Airdrop automatically switches to Wi-Fi after you locate and accept the receiver. After the transmission, if you continue to utilize Airdrop, your device will watch for nearby iPhone users who are attempting to share a file.
If the transfer is done using Bluetooth, it can take hours to finish, and if your phone uses Wi-Fi to check for new connections, you’ll need a new battery every other day.
Therefore, even though you are required to turn on your Bluetooth in order to use Airdrop, the two are very different. While Bluetooth can do an excellent job when it comes to connecting two devices that transmit small amounts of data for longer periods, Airdrop is more efficient for heavier file transfers.
The difference in Speed
Everyone wants a faster exchange of data, especially when it is about transferring larger files. With Apple devices, you have two handy options to choose your exchange medium: Airdrop and Bluetooth.
Although Bluetooth is considerably older than Airdrop, their speeds are miles apart. When transmitting big files, AirDrop is clearly the preferable choice; it isn’t even close.
The Bluetooth LE technology used in all iPhones has a 2Mbps maximum transfer speed. 2Mbps is scarcely enough to transmit high-definition audio. Moreover, multiple external factors can intrude, making it even more challenging for the device to transfer data efficiently at this speed.
Here is a real-world comparison to demonstrate how slow Bluetooth is. At the fastest Bluetooth speed, moving a 2GB file will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes. That speed is intolerable, especially when a very high-quality video will be about that big.
On the other hand, Airdrop uses Wi-Fi to transport data. It serves no use to show off how fast Wi-Fi can be, as that technology is responsible for your online gaming, streaming, and web browsing.
In summary, Airdrop is much faster than Bluetooth and less draining on batteries. Any file transfer should always be attempted using Airdrop if speed is a concern.
The Bottom Line
Airdrop is fundamentally different from Bluetooth even though it distributes files over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Both technologies are practical in various contexts due to their various advantages and disadvantages.
Although Bluetooth is slower than Wi-Fi, it is less draining on your battery. A headphone is an ideal application for technology like Bluetooth because it has to carry little data packets over a lengthy period of time.
However, the primary goal of Airdrop is speed. It is significantly faster than Bluetooth since it delivers data via Wi-Fi Direct technology. It’s the greatest choice for massive data transfers between iPhones, but it’s not very practical for connecting things like speakers.
It’s also crucial to understand that Bluetooth and Airdrop are not rivals. Both of these have unique applications, and neither one will be leaving the tech world anytime soon.
