Does Bluetooth drain battery? All wireless technologies need power, but how much is a topic riddled with anecdotes and theories. Despite advancements in Bluetooth technology, it’s still a pretty common belief that you’ll get much more life out of your phone by turning off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, and various other bits of technology when you’re not using them. I find these old habits hard to break. Yes, I still turn Wi-Fi off when leaving the house and disable Bluetooth until I listen to music. But is that necessary in the modern age of “smart” technology? How much battery do I waste if I leave Bluetooth on while I’m not using it? What about playing music over Bluetooth? Is the battery drain higher than using speakers or wired headphones? To find the answers to these questions, we grabbed a handful of phones and ran some tests. See also: What are the best wireless earbuds you can currently get? How we tested To get a grip on exactly how using Bluetooth impacts battery life, we pi...
