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‘Users can allegedly move freely within their residence or structure while staying connected to their mobile device.’
On December 1, Qualcomm unveiled its latest products at the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. Alongside the highly anticipated Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Snapdragon X Elite, the company also introduced the S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 sound platforms. These new chips boast a significant increase in computing power compared to their predecessors and offer on-device AI capabilities.
One standout feature of the S7 Pro is its micro-power Wi-Fi connectivity, which allows users to enjoy uninterrupted audio experiences while moving around a home, building, or campus. Qualcomm’s Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology enables automatic switching between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, ensuring a seamless listening experience even when the user moves away from their phone.
According to Dino Bekis, a representative from Qualcomm, the S7 Pro chip can deliver 96kHz lossless audio via earbuds and supports 2.4, 5, and 6GHz bands. Users can easily connect their earbuds to Wi-Fi with just a single prompt.
In addition to Wi-Fi connectivity, the S7 Pro and S7 platforms feature onboard AI capabilities that enhance responsiveness to the listener’s environment. Users can choose to hear ambient sounds or block out their surroundings completely, thanks to Qualcomm’s advanced active noise cancellation technology.
It’s important to note that the full capabilities of the S7 and S7 Pro sound platforms will only be enabled when paired with devices equipped with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform and Snapdragon X Elite. As a result, products utilizing these sound chips will likely be targeted toward Android devices, as Apple has its own ecosystem.