Qualcomm's new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 integrates micro-power Wi-Fi 6E directly into the chip, enabling wireless earbuds to connect straight to home Wi-Fi and the cloud for lossless audio streaming. This revisits a promise first made in 2023 with the S7 Pro sound platform and XPAN tech, now potentially closer to real-world delivery.
Background
Qualcomm has been pursuing Wi-Fi-enabled audio since 2023 with its XPAN technology, aiming to overcome Bluetooth's bandwidth limitations for high-fidelity wireless audio. The industry has yet to see a commercial product fully realize this vision.
- Source
- The Verge
- Published
- Sep 25, 2026 at 07:42 AM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10