Qualcomm’s new ‘Elite’ sound chip might finally deliver the Wi-Fi earbud dream

高通新款“Elite”音频芯片或许终于能实现 Wi-Fi 耳机的梦想

What if your wireless earbuds — or audio glasses — could stream high-quality lossless audio that doesn’t cut out when you leave your phone on the bedside charger or buried in the couch? Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 is its first to integrate “micro-power Wi-Fi 6E” right into the chip, so they can connect directly to your home Wi-Fi network, and from there to the cloud.

如果你的无线耳机或音频眼镜能够串流高质量的无损音频，且当你把手机留在床头充电器上或埋在沙发里时也不会断连，那会怎样？高通新款骁龙（Snapdragon）Sound Elite Gen 2 是其首款将“微功耗 Wi-Fi 6E”直接集成到芯片中的产品，因此它们可以直接连接到你的家庭 Wi-Fi 网络，并由此连接到云端。

If that sounds like a familiar promise, it’s probably because Qualcomm promised something similar back in 2023 with the “S7 Pro sound platform” and its Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) tech, saying that Wi-Fi earbuds can do what Bluetooth alone cannot. Namely, 24-bit 96kHz lossless audio that can’t fit into Bluetooth’s meager bandwidth.

如果这个承诺听起来很耳熟，那可能是因为高通在 2023 年曾通过“S7 Pro 音频平台”及其扩展个人局域网（XPAN）技术做出过类似的承诺，称 Wi-Fi 耳机可以实现蓝牙无法做到的事情。即：蓝牙有限的带宽无法承载的 24-bit 96kHz 无损音频。

But that old 7-series platform required a separate Wi-Fi chip to give you Wi-Fi earbuds, and it seems that wasn’t a winning formula for getting makers of incredibly tiny devices to adopt the tech! In fact, we’ve only ever heard of one: Xiaomi’s 2025 Buds 5 Pro, which didn’t get a global release.

但旧款 7 系列平台需要一颗独立的 Wi-Fi 芯片才能实现 Wi-Fi 耳机功能，而对于那些制造极其微小设备的厂商来说，这似乎并不是一个成功的方案！事实上，我们只听说过一款产品：小米 2025 年发布的 Buds 5 Pro，且该产品并未在全球范围内发售。

Now that Wi-Fi no longer requires an extra chip, perhaps the idea can take off. Qualcomm says the Elite is also 30 percent smaller, consumes up to 40 percent less power, and has twice the AI processing capabilities of the previous gen chip, all of which should be music to device makers’ ears.

现在，既然 Wi-Fi 不再需要额外的芯片，这个构想或许能够真正起飞。高通表示，Elite 芯片的体积缩小了 30%，功耗降低了 40%，AI 处理能力也比上一代芯片翻了一番，这对设备制造商来说无疑是个好消息。

So far, Qualcomm says it’s working with HP on one specific unnamed product, is “working closely with Bose,” and is “pioneering a new category of intelligent hearables” (read: earbuds with built-in cameras) with Cleer.

目前，高通表示正在与惠普（HP）合作开发一款尚未命名的特定产品，与 Bose“密切合作”，并正与 Cleer 一起“开创智能可穿戴音频设备的新品类”（即：内置摄像头的耳机）。