Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 as a substantial chipset for upcoming audio devices, with a massive focus on better AI performance for audio wearables.

The Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 SoC is purpose-built for audio wearables, or “hearables” as Qualcomm puts it in its press release. With the push beyond simple audio performance, the chipmaker is taking the opportunity to build on what audio chipsets can do, as far as contextual image recognition for any camera-equipped earbuds the new chipset might be used in.

As for pure performance, Qualcomm notes the new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 will be capable of up to 2x greater on-device AI performance. That comes at a lower power consumption rate by up to 40%. Translated to real-world use, the SoC is poised for AI wearables with local and online models that should require less frequent charges. Android XR devices would be a key example, since Gemini will need to live locally and gather information from real-world surroundings.

The chipset is also capable of Wi-Fi 6E, so OEMs can position devices to offer on-board or cloud-based AI access.

Qualcomm hasn’t abandoned the core principles of the audio chipsets. The Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 will have aptX and XPAN connectivity for better audio quality and Bluetooth range. But it will also leverage AI performance for better ANC built on Qualcomm’s 5th-generation protocol.

The chipmaker goes on to list a few theoretical devices the new SoC would be able to power. Some examples are traditional earbuds and headphones, as well as “open-ear hybrid audio designs, camera-enabled devices, audio glasses, and future multimodal wearables.”

Qualcomm doesn’t mention any key upcoming devices the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 SoC chipset would live in, but with Android XR devices and more coming from large companies, it likely won’t be long before the new silicon is undergoing real-world use.

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