After unveiling its flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform at Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm today focused on products beyond phones with the launch of the Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 and Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 second-generation Bluetooth audio platforms, both supporting Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listen technology.
Optimized to work with Qualcomm’s newly launched second-generation Snapdragon 8 mobile platform, these products are feature-rich and ultra-low power consumption, bringing new features to Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listen, including spatial audio support with dynamic head tracking, optimized lossless music streaming and an extremely low-latency gaming experience of 48 milliseconds between the phone and headset.
Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 offers a more high-end experience, while Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 targets mainstream audio accessories. The new chip works with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to deliver lossless audio from the phone to the user’s ears. The new chip supports dynamic head tracking for spatial audio for a more immersive experience.
Both Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 and S3 Gen 2 feature third-generation Qualcomm Adaptive Noise Cancellation, which will enable pass-through when the headset hears someone talking to you, so you can also hear outside sounds without having to manually turn off ANC.
The S3 Gen 2 and S5 Gen 2 chips are also designed with the gaming experience in mind, offering a faster-than-ever low-latency mode, down to just 48 ms from 68 ms in Gen 1, and a voice return channel for a high-quality in-game chat experience.
The S3 Gen 2 and S5 Gen 2 chips also support Auracast, which is the Bluetooth version of FM radio. A single transmitter can send signals to multiple receivers without prior pairing, just tuning. This can be used to share music with friends, connect to a TV outside the home (at the gym or airport, for example), listen to public radio in a variety of venues, and more.
Qualcomm’s S3 Gen 2 and S5 Gen 2 are designed for stereo headphones with lossless audio support as well as mid-range headphones that can also be used for wireless speakers.
The new audio platform also features a variety of connectivity standards, including Bluetooth LE Audio. Qualcomm is also working closely with leading audio brand Bose, whose latest products will support Snapdragon Sound. In addition to headphones and speakers, the chipmaker also envisions AR and VR headsets that will take advantage of Snapdragon Sound technology. That’s why it’s focusing on spatial audio, which will be able to track the user’s head movements to optimize sound and provide a realistic experience.
Qualcomm’s S5 and S3 second-generation audio platforms are expected to enter commercial devices in the second half of 2023.
