Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon Sound S7 Series With XPAN For Ubiquitous HiFi Jams

Qualcomm has just announced its new S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 Snapdragon Sound platforms at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii today. The company's most advanced audio platforms are designed for earbuds, headphones, and speakers, as well as various smart audio devices.

On-Device AI Processing And New Connectivity Tech

According to Qualcomm, the new S7 platforms combine high-performance, lower power compute, on-device AI, and advanced connectivity to deliver a new era of audio innovation. The S7 Pro platform also comes with micro-power Wi-Fi to extend the range of audio devices beyond what is possible utilizing Bluetooth only. The new technology will allow users to walk around a large home, building, or campus while listening to music or taking a call without losing connection.

"These platforms set a new benchmark for high-performance sound at ultra-low power," remarked Dino Bekis, Vice President and General Manager of Wearables and Mixed Signals Solutions of Qualcomm Technologies. "They are packed with premium technologies that work together with on-device AI to deliver immersive and personalized audio experiences wherever you go, whether in a meeting, socializing, gaming, listening to music, or just needing some quiet time."

Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound team understands that nearly 70 percent of people want to use the same listening device across multiple use cases, while almost 80 percent are interested in whole-home audio coverage. It is due to these reasons the company designed the Snapdragon S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 Sound platforms to deliver six times more compute power, and almost 100 percent more AI power than previous generations for audio processing workloads like more immersive surround sound, better active noise cancellation (ANC) and improved sound isolation for background noise reduction.

Snapdragon Sound XPAN Technology Unveiled

Qualcomm Expanded Personal Area Network Technology (XPAN) and micro-power Wi-Fi connectivity are new technologies that work with Snapdragon Sound and are part of what makes the S7 Pro platform capable of bringing high bit-rate audiophile-quality music streaming, delivered over Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth at low power consumption. XPAN and micro-power Wi-Fi connectivity allow users to hear every detail in lossless quality (from 92kHz scaling up to 192kHz), and with XPAN over WiFi, the connection range is expanded dramatically.


Both platforms utilize on-device AI in order to help hearing enhancement technologies deliver a more seamless user experience by understanding and adapting to user needs throughout a typical day. An example might be when using on-device AI learning. The ANC can transition seamlessly and intelligently between ANC modes based on the immediate environment.

The S7 platforms also incorporate an all-new platform hardware architecture, Qualcomm 4th Gen ANC, that supports low-latency, multi-channel, and low-power ANC. The new hardware architecture means that users can take advantage of Qualcomm's strongest-ever ANC performance while delivering more responsive ANC in places such as a busy offices or cafes. ANC will automatically and seamlessly transition to and from Transparency mode in situations where users need to let the sounds of the outside world in, or block them out.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound technology will be featured in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile Platform and Snapdragon X Elite. Those wanting to learn more about Snapdragon Sound can visit the Qualcomm website.