Lossless Bluetooth audio is coming to mobile devices, teases Qualcomm

The company says that the new S3 and S5 platforms will support 16-bit CD-quality lossless audio over Bluetooth.

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Qualcomm S3 and S5

Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm is upping its wireless audio game with the release of two new sound platforms — the S5 (QCC517x) and S3 (QCC307x) — that will make Lossless Bluetooth audio a reality.

Qualcomm claims [via Digitaltrends] the S3 and S5 are dual-mode, mobile-based platforms that merge traditional Bluetooth and the latest low-energy (LE) audio technology.

The launch of these two platforms marks the expansion of its Snapdragon Sound technology that combines “superior audio, connectivity, and mobile innovations” to deliver “high-resolution music, crystal-clear voice calls, and lag-free gaming—with superior connectivity and extended battery life”.

Announced last year, Snapdragon Sound promised an enhanced wireless audio experience, allowing for Bluetooth transmission of 24-bit/96kHz files – above the 48kHz limit of Qualcomm’s aptX HD technology.

Now, the company claims that the new S3 and S5 platforms will support 16-bit CD-quality lossless audio over Bluetooth, which means that wireless users can finally take advantage of the growing availability of high resolution music from services like Tidal, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Considering the platforms are Qualcomm’s “most advanced” yet, they also come with a slew of features such as wireless stereo recording, ultra-low power consumption, super wide band voice quality for crystal-clear calls, and multipoint connectivity which lets you connect to and switch between more than one source device at once.

For users who are often out and about, the inclusion of Qualcomm’s latest adaptive active noise cancellation technology will prove useful. You can enjoy a consistent level of noise cancellation performance as the third-generation adaptive ANC is designed to adapt to wind noise and transparency depending on the users’ environment, as well as prevent howling noises.

There’s even a gaming mode with 68ms low latency audio — a 25 per cent improvement from previous generations.

Qualcomm states that the S5 and S3 are already sampling to customers, with commercial products expected in the second half of 2022.

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