Qualcomm S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 bring better audio over Wi-Fi

Alongside new SoC announcements, Qualcomm is bolstering the next generation of devices with new S7 and S7 Pro platforms, which bring enhanced audio to devices over Wi-Fi instead of just Bluetooth.

Every device that runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC is likely to rely on the same company’s sound processing. In recent years, with the addition of Qualcomm patX lossless audio, smartphone wireless audio transmission has evolved into something much better. While it’s still nothing compared to what can be achieved with a dedicated DAC, it’s plenty adequate for most users.

In a big step forward, Qualcomm announced a new lineup of audio processing platforms meant to expand what wireless audio means for users. That lineup consists of two units – the S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 platforms. Each is built to utilize on-device AI to deliver “advanced audio experiences” with Bluetooth 5.4 and a heavy ANC enhancement.

According to Qualcomm, the new platforms deliver computing power six times that of previous platforms, which translates to 100 times the AI power. With that added power, there’s a minimal change in power consumption while largely expanding what devices are capable of in terms of sound detection and ANC processing.

The biggest bit of news is the S7 Pro’s ability to connect to devices over both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for “untethered listening.” Using a new solution named XPAN and micro-power Wi-Fi connectivity, Qualcomm’s S7 Pro can extend audio ranges for devices across any building with a unified Wi-Fi network. The new system supports up to 192kHz in audio streaming, which is on the lossless end.

In several demo videos, Qualcomm showed what a perfect S7 application means, with the earbuds being able to detect when ANC and passthrough are needed. While the notion that earbuds with the S7 platform can determine the exact moment your doorbell rings for passthrough is exciting, it’ll be interesting to see if this becomes a realistic scenario without flaws. As for untethered connectivity, that seems much more realistic and palpable.