Qualcomm's Elite Gen 2 chip builds Wi-Fi 6E into earbuds for lossless streaming

A sound chip with Wi-Fi built in

Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, an audio platform for wireless earbuds and similar devices that, according to The Verge, is the company's first to build "micro-power Wi-Fi 6E" directly into the chip. Instead of relying solely on a Bluetooth link to a phone, earbuds built on the Elite can join a home Wi-Fi network themselves and stream from the cloud.

The immediate benefit is range and robustness: audio keeps playing even when your phone is charging in another room or wedged between sofa cushions. The bigger benefit is bandwidth. Wi-Fi has enough headroom to carry lossless, high-resolution audio — the kind of stream that Bluetooth's comparatively narrow pipe cannot handle.

Qualcomm has tried this before

As The Verge points out, this is not Qualcomm's first attempt at the idea. In 2023 the company launched the S7 Pro sound platform with its Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology, promising 24-bit, 96kHz lossless audio over Wi-Fi. The catch was that the platform required an additional, standalone Wi-Fi chip alongside the main audio silicon — a significant ask for devices where every cubic millimetre and milliamp counts.

Adoption reflected that friction. The Verge says it is aware of only one product that ever shipped with the approach: Xiaomi's Buds 5 Pro from 2025, which never received a global release. By folding Wi-Fi into the main chip, Qualcomm is betting it has removed the obstacle that sank the first attempt.

Smaller, lighter on power, more AI

Beyond the integrated radio, Qualcomm claims the Elite is 30 percent smaller than the previous generation, consumes up to 40 percent less power, and offers twice the AI processing capability, as reported by The Verge. For tiny devices where battery life and internal volume are the binding constraints, those numbers matter as much as the wireless spec itself — a smaller, thriftier chip makes Wi-Fi earbuds easier to design without sacrificing playback time.

Early partners

Qualcomm says it is working with HP on a single, as-yet-unnamed product, is "working closely with Bose," and is developing what it calls intelligent hearables with Cleer — a category The Verge interprets as earbuds with built-in cameras.

Why it matters

Bluetooth's bandwidth ceiling is one of the last big gaps between the lossless catalogues that streaming services offer and what actually reaches most listeners' ears. If Wi-Fi-native earbuds become practical without extra silicon, lossless streaming could finally arrive in the form factor where most people actually listen, with the range to wander away from the phone.

The open question is execution. Qualcomm made essentially this promise in 2023 and the market responded with a single regional product. Integrated Wi-Fi 6E, a smaller design and lower power consumption address the stated reasons that effort stalled, but chip announcements are not products — the HP, Bose and Cleer relationships will need to turn into shipping devices before the Wi-Fi earbud stops being a demo and starts being a category. The camera-equipped hearables angle adds a further wrinkle, suggesting Qualcomm sees these devices evolving well beyond music playback.