Note: This article was first published on 25 October 2023.
(Image source: Qualcomm)
Qualcomm unveiled more than just its new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chips at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. The company also announced its new S7 and S7 Pro sound platforms, which will power a new generation of wireless audio devices.
Snapdragon S7 and S7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon S7 Pro's block diagram for its components.
According to Qualcomm, the S7 and S7 Pro sound platforms will have five times the compute power and nearly 100 times the AI performance compared to previous generation audio platforms.
This means even better active noise cancellation (Qualcomm's 4th-gen ANC), more natural adaptive transparency modes, long battery life, and improved DSP and call performance.
Comparison chart on what the new Qualcomm Snapdragon audio SoCs offer.
The new S7 and S7 Pro sound platforms and will both support Bluetooth 5.4 and the latter also has a new feature called Qualcomm XPAN technology or Expanded Personal Area Network, which will enable new listening experiences.
Specifically, XPAN technology will use micro-power Wi-Fi to support 192kHz wireless lossless audio streaming. Not only does this mean better audio quality, it also means a range that surpasses Bluetooth which will give users greater freedom in how they want to listen to their music. For instance, XPAN works with Snapdragon Sound to keep earbuds connected, even when the phone is in another room, or on another floor of the building.
A concern with using Wi-Fi for music is battery life, but Qualcomm claims the S7 Pro sound platform can deliver up to 10 hours of battery life even when streaming 96kHz lossless audio.
Snapdragon S7 and S7 Pro summary.
The new S7 and S7 Pro sound platforms are expected to feature in a new generation of wireless audio devices, including true wireless earbuds and wireless headphones.
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