Qualcomm is betting that Wi-Fi earbuds were just waiting for the right package. The company’s new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 integrates “micro-power Wi-Fi 6E” directly into the chip itself, meaning earbuds can connect straight to a home Wi-Fi network and stream lossless audio without needing a phone nearby. The company says the chip also supports AI processing for “intelligent hearables.”
“micro-power Wi-Fi 6E”
The pitch is simple: your earbuds stop relying on your phone. Instead, they stream high-fidelity audio over Wi-Fi, using the wider channels to move data faster than Bluetooth alone can manage. Qualcomm says the chip is 30 percent smaller, consumes up to 40 percent less power, and has twice the AI processing capacity of the previous generation.
The Wi-Fi Earbuds That Never Left China
This is not Qualcomm’s first try at Wi-Fi earbuds. Back in 2023, the company launched the S7 Pro sound platform with its Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) tech. The S7 Pro promised 24-bit 96kHz lossless audio that Bluetooth’s narrow bandwidth could not handle.
There was a catch: the S7 Pro required a separate Wi-Fi chip. That made adoption hard for makers of tiny devices, since adding a second chip takes room that earbuds often do not have. Qualcomm says the new Elite chip solves that problem by integrating Wi-Fi directly into the main processor.
The result was limited. We have only ever heard of one device that used the S7 Pro technology: Xiaomi’s 2025 Buds 5 Pro, which did not get a global release. The separate-chip approach proved too cumbersome for most manufacturers.
Who Is Working With Qualcomm Now
Qualcomm is showing partners for the new chip, even if the details are thin. The company says it is working with HP on one unnamed product, and is “working closely with Bose.” It is also “pioneering a new category of intelligent hearables” with Cleer, though the exact shape of that partnership remains unclear.
The Cleer partnership is defined as earbuds with built-in cameras.
What This Means for Listeners
The promise is clear: lossless audio that does not drop when you step away from your phone. For people who care about sound quality, that could mean streaming concerts, albums, or podcasts without the usual Bluetooth compression.
Whether the market wants it is another question. The 2023 attempt proved that consumers were not rushing to buy Wi-Fi earbuds. The technology was available, but the execution — one product, no global rollout — showed how difficult adoption had been.
The new chip changes the calculus. Smaller size and lower power mean manufacturers no longer need to sacrifice battery life or space to add Wi-Fi. Twice the AI processing capacity suggests the chip could support more advanced features.
The partnerships with HP, Bose, and Cleer suggest Qualcomm believes the technology is ready for prime time. Whether listeners agree will depend on the final products.
Key Facts Box
- New chip: Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2
- Integrated feature: micro-power Wi-Fi 6E
- Previous platform: S7 Pro sound platform (2023)
- One known adopter: Xiaomi’s 2025 Buds 5 Pro (no global release)
- Partners: HP, Bose, Cleer
- Specs: 30 percent smaller, up to 40 percent less power, twice the AI processing
The Wi-Fi earbud dream has been promised before. This time, the chip is built into the device, and the companies behind it are willing to name the partners.
Source material: “Qualcomm’s new ‘Elite’ sound chip might finally deliver the Wi-Fi earbud dream,” The Verge.
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