iFi Audio UP Play – LDAC Bluetooth Transmitter for USB-C

The UP Play is a 3 g USB-C dongle that replaces your device's own Bluetooth with a better one. Plug it into a phone, tablet, laptop or handheld console, pair your wireless headphones to it, and they receive LDAC or aptX Adaptive instead of whatever your source normally sends. For iPhone owners stuck on AAC it is the cheapest route to hi-res wireless listening. At Soundium it is the entry point of the iFi UP range, below the UP Play Max and alongside the UP Travel.

Key Features

• LDAC and aptX Adaptive from any USB-C source: hi-res Bluetooth up to 24-bit / 96 kHz, including from iPhone
• Wide codec set: LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC, switchable with a physical button and shown by a colour LED
• Qualcomm QCC5144 on Bluetooth 5.2: adaptive bit rate balances sound quality against link stability
• K2 Technology: JVCKENWOOD's processing restores harmonic content lost in digital compression, activated in the iFi Nexis app
• Dual headphone pairing: two pairs of headphones or earbuds on one source over SBC
• Low-latency mode: aptX Adaptive low-latency and aptX Low Latency keep games and video in sync
• Built-in microphone: Qualcomm noise and echo suppression for calls and in-game chat
• iFi Nexis app: codec control, K2 toggle and over-the-air firmware updates

Customer Benefits

Good Bluetooth headphones often support LDAC or aptX Adaptive, but the phone decides what actually gets sent. iPhones only offer AAC, and Android phones pick and choose codecs by brand. The UP Play hands that decision back to the headphones: they get the best codec they share with the dongle, and your phone simply sees a USB-C audio device. At 3 g it can stay plugged in, the hardware buttons handle pairing and codec changes without an app, and the same dongle moves between your phone, laptop and console.

Quick Specs

• Type: Bluetooth audio transmitter (USB-C dongle)
• Bluetooth chipset: Qualcomm QCC5144
• Bluetooth version: 5.2
• Codecs: LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, SBC
• Maximum sampling rate: 24-bit / 96 kHz
• Frequency response: 20 Hz to 43 kHz (LDAC)
• Range: 10 m or more
• Input: USB-C
• Power: 5 V / 0.5 A or more via USB-C
• Dimensions: 27.6 x 20.8 x 8 mm
• Weight: 3 g

In the Box

• iFi Audio UP Play
• Quick start guide
• Instruction card

Use Cases / Ideal For

iPhone owners with LDAC or aptX Adaptive headphones who want more than AAC without spending on a new phone. Android users whose phone lacks aptX Adaptive or aptX Low Latency. Switch 2, PS5 and PC gamers who want low-latency wireless audio and a mic in one small plug. Anyone who shares music or films with a second pair of headphones on the train or plane.

Compatibility

Any USB-C source that accepts a USB audio device: iPhone and iPad with USB-C, Android phones and tablets, Windows and macOS computers, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. The codec used depends on your headphones: LDAC needs LDAC headphones, aptX Adaptive needs aptX Adaptive headphones, and two paired headphones share an SBC link. For aptX Lossless and Auracast, look at the UP Play Max.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros:

• Brings LDAC and aptX Adaptive to iPhones and to Android phones that lack them
• Hardware codec and pairing buttons, so no app is needed day to day
• Dual pairing, low-latency modes and a mic in a 3 g package
• Low entry price for a real Bluetooth upgrade

⚠️ Cons:

• No aptX Lossless or Auracast, both reserved for the UP Play Max
• Only an upgrade if your headphones support a better codec than your phone already uses
• Takes the USB-C port, so you cannot charge through it at the same time

The UP Play is a small, inexpensive fix for a problem most people do not know they have: headphones that can take far more than their phone sends. You will find it at Soundium alongside the UP Play Max and UP Travel, and we are happy to tell you which codec your headphones will actually get.