The Future of Seamless Audio According to Qualcomm

An exclusive interview with Dino Bekis, Qualcomm's Vice President and General Manager, Wearables & Mixed Signal Solutions Business Unit, where he shares fascinating insights into the company's roadmap and future developments, leveraging the best of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in wireless earbuds and headphones into a seamless, high-quality audio experience. We also learn about Qualcomm's unique vision for its latest generation Snapdragon Sound platforms, and XPAN technology, allowing wireless hi-res audio without bandwidth constraints or compromising battery life.

Precisely a month since I was at the Barcelona Fira attending the mammoth of a trade show that is Integrated Systems Europe, here I was back in Barcelona for an even bigger and busier event, the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) promoted by the GSMA. 109,000 attendees and 2,900 exhibitors. In this first impressions report I discuss Bluetooth, why there was no Auracast, how Qualcomm made a splash with XPAN, and why are mobile operators obsessed with AI and Robots.

A year past since Qualcomm announced its S7 Pro Snapdragon Sound platform with micro-power Wi-Fi, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi unveiled the new Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi earbuds at MWC 2025. The brand designed a premium model with a triple coaxial driver system, hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) up to 55dB, support for AI-powered transcription, and Qualcomm XPAN for direct connectivity to smartphones, enabling 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio with an expanded 4.2Mbps bandwidth.

The next Bluetooth release is expected to be ratified soon. One important new feature is the Unified Test Protocol (UTP) Test Mode for Bluetooth Low Energy, that will complement existing test methods. The UTP Test Mode will additionally enable over-the-air (OTA) controlled device testing, which will simplify measurements of small and highly integrated devices enormously, since no direct wired connection to the tester is needed. Rohde & Schwarz and Ceva, in close cooperation, have developed a solution for this new test mode.

STMicroelectronics has introduced new STM32U3 microcontrollers (MCUs) with power-saving innovations that ease deployment of smart connected devices, especially in remote locations. The company has also unveiled the next generation of its STM32 power-efficient short-range wireless microcontrollers that simplify connecting consumer and industrial devices. The two new MCUs leverage near-threshold chip design to set a record performance-per-watt efficiency benchmark.

Honor introduced the Honor Earbuds Open – a unique open-ear design that rests directly on the ear and is able to cancel the outside world thanks to advanced AI audio processing capabilities. In fact, Honor calls this design the “industry's first open-ear 3-mic hybrid active noise cancellation system.” And the Honor Earbuds Open not only block external noise, but allow users to make calls privately thanks to its reverse acoustic system that reduces audio leakage. The user’s voice is perfectly captured even in noisy environments with a combination of a voice accelerometer, 3-mic array, and bone conduction sensor technology.