Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 Aims to Fix Wi-Fi Earbud Connectivity

The previous attempt at this technology, the S7 Pro platform, relied on an external Wi-Fi chip that proved too bulky and inefficient for manufacturers to adopt widely. This second-generation iteration moves the Wi-Fi architecture onto the main chip, allowing for a 30 percent reduction in physical size and a 40 percent improvement in power efficiency. By bypassing the bandwidth restrictions of standard Bluetooth, the chip supports 24-bit 96kHz lossless audio, a feature that previously saw almost no market penetration beyond the limited release of the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro.

Beyond connectivity, the chip boasts double the AI processing power of its predecessor, providing a platform for more advanced hearable features. Qualcomm has confirmed active partnerships with HP and Bose, alongside an experimental project with Cleer that explores integrating cameras into ear-worn devices. For hardware developers, these efficiency gains represent a pragmatic bridge toward a new category of intelligent audio wearables that can interface directly with cloud services rather than relying solely on a smartphone's local connection.