Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, a new audio platform designed for AI-enabled wearables including camera-equipped earbuds, audio glasses and other hybrid devices. Rather than using cameras to record conventional video, the chip is intended to help AI assistants understand a user’s surroundings and provide additional context.

The company says the platform doubles the onboard AI performance of the previous generation while using less power and taking up less space. Qualcomm rates the new chip at 0.128 TOPS of AI compute, with power consumption reduced by 40% and the motherboard footprint reduced by 30% compared with Gen 1.

Built for camera-equipped audio wearables

Qualcomm’s vision extends beyond headphones that simply play music or handle calls. The Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 is aimed at devices that combine microphones, speakers, cameras and AI processing in a single wearable.

Potential uses include real-time translation, contextual assistance, personalized hearing features and multimodal interactions that combine audio, visual information and AI. Ziad Asghar, Qualcomm’s senior vice president and general manager for XR, wearables and personal AI, said the platform is designed to support a new generation of intelligent audio wearables.

The chip can process some AI workloads locally, while also connecting to cloud-based services. That combination could allow wearable devices to use onboard processing for responsive features and rely on online services for tasks that need additional computing power.

Micro-power Wi-Fi 6E enables phone-free operation

One of the platform’s main additions is what Qualcomm calls “micro-power” Wi-Fi 6E. The connection supports the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands, allowing compatible wearables to connect directly to the internet instead of routing traffic through a paired smartphone.

Direct connectivity could reduce latency and make some experiences possible without a phone nearby. It also gives manufacturers another way to build standalone audio devices, although the actual capabilities will depend on how individual products implement the platform and their cloud services.

Premium audio features remain included

The Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 is not limited to AI functions. Qualcomm says it supports its premium Snapdragon Sound technologies, including aptX Lossless audio, XPAN for extended Bluetooth range, fifth-generation Qualcomm active noise cancellation and cVc technology for reducing noise during voice calls.

The platform also supports multi-microphone designs, which are important for voice capture, noise reduction and context-aware features. Its processing hardware includes an ARM M55 CPU running at 300MHz, an eNPU 6 neural processing unit and several digital signal processors. Qualcomm lists power consumption at 3–4mA and support for Bluetooth 7.0 and 6.0.

Bose, HP and Cleer are developing devices

Qualcomm said Bose, HP and Cleer are among the companies already working on products based on the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2. The announcement does not identify specific devices or release dates, so it remains unclear when consumers will be able to buy the first products using the platform.