When people think “Qualcomm”, they’ll probably conjure up images of smartphones, microchips, and such. We wouldn’t blame them though, after all the brand is recognized as one of the industry’s biggest names in mobile processing. With that in mind, what some might not be aware of is that Qualcomm also devotes a considerable amount of time, research and development towards other fields in tech, such as audio processing.
As such, the company recently unveiled its new Qualcomm S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 Platforms, which aim to give listeners the best in audio quality. The S7 series platform is designed to be used in products such as wireless earbuds, headphones, and more. Dino Bekis, Vice President and General Manager at Qualcomm’s Wearables and Mixed Signals Solutions states:
“These platforms set a new benchmark for high-performance sound at ultra-low power. 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.
The S7 ProPlatform with our micro-power Wi-Fi and revolutionary Qualcomm XPAN technology further transforms the sound experience by enabling whole home and building audio coverage, support for up to 192kHz multi-channel lossless music streaming and enhanced multi-channel spatial audio for gaming.”
Improvements over Predecessors
With that being said, Qualcomm says that the S7 platform features on-device AI that helps device give listeners great-sounding audio, with up to six times the compute power, 100 times the power of previous-generation hardware – in particular, the S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 come with three times the memory versus the somewhat S5 Gen 2 platform.
The S7 Pro also comes with support for Qualcomm’s Expanded Personal Area Network Technology (XPAN), and even micro-power Wifi connections for improved audio range with wireless devices, and support for 192 kHz lossless music quality.
With Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound technology, the company says that products powered by the S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 are specially-designed to work with smart devices that come packing the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset for optimal sound quality.
AI and ANC Features
Additionally, the Qualcomm S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 come with hearing enhancements thanks to on-device AI, which adapts to user needs while in use. This is made possible thanks to a dedicated built-in AI core component that handles all the “smart stuff”, which includes automatic adjustments to give users a consistent listening experience all throughout.
This means that products with the S7 platform can easily transition between different ANC modes depending on the corresponding levels of sound in a user’s immediate environment. Furthermore, products with the S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 will be able to compensate for hearing loss, should a user have pre-existing difficulties with their hearing.
Qualcomm’s newest audio platform also comes with the company’s 4th-generation ANC technology, which supports improved low-latency, multi-channel and low-power ANC. Users can expect better ANC quality even in different environments, and even in situations where a user might have loose-fitting earbuds, sudden changes in ambient sound conditions, and such. We can expect to see products with the Qualcomm S7 and S7 Pro Gen 1 onboard soon.
