QUALCOMM BETS ON WIRELESS AUDIO WITH SNAPDRAGON SOUND

When consumers shop for smartphones, camera quality is often a key selling point. But Qualcomm thinks the next big feature could be audio — fueled by faster 5G and next-generation Wi-Fi technologies that enable high-definition music streaming, top quality video conferencing and real-time gaming.

The San Diego company aims to get a jump on mobile audio with its new Snapdragon Sound platform, a collection of chips and software designed to bring better sound to Android smartphones paired with wireless earbuds, headphones, gaming headsets and speakers.

“As 5G and Wi-Fi 6 comes about, and we

as consumers begin to source content from the cloud as if it is from our back pocket all the time, the expectation is that, as multimedia traverses from the phone to your ears, or from the PC to your ears, you get CD-quality sound,” said Rahul Patel, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm’s connectivity chip unit.

While improving, these links can be choppy today, said Patel. For wireless gaming headsets, sound and video can get out of sync. And configuring earbuds

to Android phones or to a PC can be a headache, he said.

Snapdragon Sound includes FastConnect for easy pairing of devices, high-resolution audio processors, Bluetooth chips designed for crowded streaming environments, noise canceling and low latency technologies, as well as Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec and smart speaker amplifiers.

Qualcomm said smartphone maker Xiaomi and headphone/earbud firm Audio-Technica will be the first customers to tap into the Snapdragon Sound platform. The company has set up a testing lab in Taiwan so device makers can

measure the performance of their devices with Snapdragon Sound, including audio quality, latency and connectivity.

As part of the rollout, Amazon Music created a Snapdragon Sound playlist of high definition and ultrahigh-definition songs designed to showcase the sound quality that the Qualcomm platform can achieve when devices supporting it come out on the market, which is expected later this year.

Snapdragon Sound could help Android smartphone makers and headphone/earbud brands challenge Apple and its popular AirPods.

For example, Snapdragon Sound delivers more bandwidth and range via Bluetooth than the industry standard, said Patel, when the platform is used by both the smartphone maker and headphones/earbuds outfit.

“So, what we are doing is bringing technology in a way that two companies who are building products for the different ends of the links — the earbuds and the phone — now have the ability to deliver a vertically integrated audio experience from Snapdragon Sound,” he said. “This is how we are facilitating differentiation in the Android ecosystem.”