With the outbreak of the TWS headset market, wireless audio users continue to grow, and high-definition audio transmission has become an important proposition for many wireless audio products. When the product has been popularized among consumers, followed by higher requirements for the functional indicators of the product, and music is the most important use scenario for consumers to purchase wireless audio products, so higher sound quality is the key demand of the wireless audio market in the next 3-5 years.
Mobile phones and headphones are the most permeable and widely used of consumer electronics. Wireless connectivity technology and human-computer interaction methods all affect people's experience of consumer electronics. However, in the Android camp, there are many brands, and different brands go their own way in terms of product iteration and upgrading, so that the connection and pairing experience between products of different brands does not meet the needs of consumers, even if it is the head of several manufacturers, it is difficult to overcome such problems in a short period of time.
Qualcomm is a well-known technology company in the consumer electronics industry, which has a continuous spirit of innovation and has an important influence in the field of communication technology. In order to solve the current technical pain points in the Android camp, Qualcomm launched snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology in March 2021, aiming to create a more optimized immersive audio experience.
Recently, I Love Audio Network had the honor to interview James Chapman, vice president and general manager of Qualcomm's voice, music and wearable devices business. Regarding the ins and outs of Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology, and what changes will occur in the mobile phone chip/audio chip and audio market in 2022, how will Qualcomm respond? Let's go into the interview content together to understand~
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Why did Qualcomm launch snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
Because we've found that audio is really important to everyone, especially during the pandemic, more and more people are using audio products in different ways. Audio becomes very important to them. Not only listening to music, but also podcasts, but also playing games with headphones, often making video calls with friends, family, colleagues, etc.
We've found that a subset of consumers are looking for high-quality audio, and they don't want to compromise on that. One of the problems people are facing at the moment is Bluetooth technology. It's great, but it's not specifically built for HD and lossless audio, and the general direction of the industry is moving towards things like lossless audio.
For example, many streaming media have introduced lossless audio to consumers but can't hear lossless audio with wireless headphones, and we hope that Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening can overcome some of these obstacles, deliver high-quality audio in a very stable way, and reduce the latency of the game, which is what we can do.
Because we can optimize the audio in an end-to-end way, this optimization process starts from the moment the audio enters your phone, from the phone chip to the wireless transmission to the headphones, all the way to your eardrums.
Overall, Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening can meet the needs of consumers as much as possible, providing stable, high-quality audio and making audio latency in the game very low.
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What are the advantages for consumers to having headphones and phones that support Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
Having such headphones and phones is a great experience, because when both headsets and phones support Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology, Qualcomm and partners can truly optimize the full-link audio experience.
As just mentioned, we can manage and regulate the audio through software algorithms on the mobile phone side, process it and then transmit it wirelessly to the headset, and then conduct all the way from the headset to the eardrum. In this way, we can really improve the listening experience in terms of sound quality, latency and stability.
Taking music as an example, we can now provide CD-quality lossless audio for wireless headphones, which is 16 bit 44 kHz. This is also the sound quality that the studio needs to produce mixes.
We can also provide ultra-wideband voice up to 32kHz, a feature that is sorely needed by people who make long daily phone calls. Because after a long low-quality voice call, it will make people feel tired. For users who play mobile games for a long time, only extremely low latency can ensure a good gaming experience.
Therefore, mobile phones and headphones with Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening can make audio have extremely low latency, extremely high quality and strong stability, because we can do end-to-end optimization between the two devices.
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How many devices currently support this technology are available to consumers?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
We only launched the Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon In March 2021, and we're already gaining momentum. We've been rolling out the technology for less than 12 months, with 22 devices already on the market and 44 OEM and ODM manufacturers already signing up to use the technology. (As of April 14, 30 devices have been listed)
In addition to this, there are some well-known companies that are also using this technology. For example, Xiaomi, Vivo, Motorola, Wanderer, they all launched products that support Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening. While I can't go into more details, there will be more great product launches in the future.
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How will Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology evolve in the future?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
We're constantly pushing this technology forward, and it's not going to happen overnight. For example, at mobile world congress in Barcelona, we unveiled our latest chips, the Qualcomm S5 (QCC517x) and S3 (QCC307x) audio platforms, which can support 16-bit 44.1kHz CD-class lossless Bluetooth audio, which is the world's first, and currently only Qualcomm can do it.
It supports stereo recording, so if you wear one earbud on the left and right ears, you can use Vlog, and the stereo sound effect is very good, which we think is very exciting. At the same time, we've enhanced stability again, so you can get a very good audio experience even in very complex communication environments, such as busy cafes or walking in the subway.
We've also further optimized the latency of the game mode to ensure that consumers have a great gaming experience, and reduced the latency of the game to about 68 milliseconds, which is about the time you press the screen with your finger to hear the sound in your ear.
In addition to the above, there are many more new features. Of course, this is just one example we just showed at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where we also plan to introduce the technology to other devices. For example, how to apply it to a laptop or other more source device. Maybe at some point, we can see this technology enter devices like cars.
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What is the difference between this Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology and the previous aptX technology?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
They are mutually reinforcing. First of all, aptX is an audio codec that can't deliver premium audio without this, and it's one of the key components of Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology.
Of course, we also have plans for aptX, which is widely acclaimed in the industry, and most of the top audio equipment uses aptX audio technology. But it's just one of the many components that make up Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening, and we've adopted aptX technology as the top audio codec.
In addition, we have also optimized the software on the mobile phone side and the connection link on the headset side, and we have added special modes to the wireless Bluetooth radio frequency, such as Qualcomm Bluetooth High Speed Link technology
This ensures that we get the best sound quality, the lowest latency and greater stability when using end-to-end devices that support Snapdragon Listening technology.
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Okay, let's talk about chip technology.
How does Qualcomm continue to innovate and release new audio chips through new technologies?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
Qualcomm has been working in this field for a long time, and for more than a decade, we have been providing Bluetooth audio chips. There are already billions of Qualcomm Bluetooth audio chips on many devices, such as headphones, soundbars, and even cars.
We work with leading OEM manufacturers such as Sennheiser, Jabra, Vivo, Xiaomi, Wanderer, Iron Triangle and more. In our engagement with these industry-leading audio companies, we've got a lot of advice, information, and motivation to drive better audio performance in terms of sound quality, stability, and latency.
In addition, we invest heavily in R&D and put a lot of effort into bringing our products and features to market. For example, the technology behind Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening, discussed today, has been in the works for at least three years, during which time a lot of research and development work has been done, because we need to integrate these functions into the chip, so we have to make sure that the product is very reliable. Then, we're going to bring it to market with partners, so it's a long-term process.
We've worked hard for a long time and we've had a lot of success. We are proud to work with some of the leading companies in the market. This allows us to keep pushing the boundaries and pushing the audio industry forward. Qualcomm continues to work in a series of terminal fields such as chips, mobile phones, automobiles, laptops, AR, VR, etc., so that technology can be realized on different terminals.
R&D and investment in these terminals allows us to think in an "end-to-end" way and explore how to get the best experience
And how audio works between devices, it also makes us think about how innovative technologies like Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening can evolve.
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In your opinion, what is the relationship between mobile phone chips and audio chips in the future?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
The relationship between the two is certainly crucial. If you look at audio technology from an individual's point of view, and imagine that each device only handles the work for which it is responsible, and then transmits the audio to the next device, and then processes a part, the final audio experience will be quite fragmented, the user will not be able to get the best sound quality, the lowest latency, and the stability will be greatly affected.
Because each device is working alone, rather than hand in hand, I think it is possible to design the phone chip and the audio chip together at the beginning, which is exactly what Qualcomm does, and only in this way can we truly optimize the "end-to-end" experience.
We want to deliver smooth, optimal optimizations, and a flawless experience. This is not only for mobile phones and audio chips, but also for audio chips in headphones and soundbars, as well as chips in devices such as AR, VR devices and laptops, and even chips in cars. So we made a lot of attempts to get the best possible "end-to-end" audio experience.
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How does Qualcomm solve the compatibility problem of different phones and headphones?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
In Taiwan, we have a dedicated interoperability lab called the IOP Lab. We make sure that every device labeled with the aptX or Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening branding passes tests in our lab. We test the interoperability of these devices with other devices. In doing so, we also work with our partners to ensure that interoperability with appropriate branded devices meets requirements. That is, they can connect and work with any other device with the brand logo and ensure that these products meet the quality standards of the Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening brand and the aptX brand.
We've invested a lot of money and effort into that, with a dedicated team testing, and we've supported Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening and aptX branded products, investing money and resources to make sure users see these logos with the right high quality and top-of-the-line audio.
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The Audio Product Usage Status Survey Report is a global user insight based on consumer audio products, what are the forward-looking changes in this survey in 2021?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
This report is very interesting, we have been doing the "Audio Product Usage Survey Report" for many years. The 2021 survey reported that 6,000 consumers spoke to us worldwide and we found that audio is more important than ever for those consumers, and I think part of the reason is that people are more connected to audio because of the pandemic.
Throughout the day, audio products are used more often and for longer periods of time. We've found that people take audio very seriously because they connect with friends, family, and colleagues working remotely through audio products, which is very important to everyone. They don't just listen to music, they watch a lot of videos with headphones and play a lot of games with headphones on.
In fact, 70% of those surveyed in our survey said that the performance of an audio device profoundly affects how they feel about the overall experience of the product. Unsurprisingly, when we asked them what was the most important factor when choosing a product, the 6,000 consumers answered very consistently, saying that sound quality is still the most important factor when buying audio products.
High-resolution and lossless audio, which are indicators of sound quality, are important to these consumers. And it's becoming more and more important. There is another point to note, and that is the game. More and more consumers are telling us that they enjoy the experience of gaming, especially on mobile devices. Gaming is becoming more and more popular, and it's a response that people have had to go out less caused by the pandemic. In the world of gaming, they really value whether wireless audio devices can achieve the lowest possible latency.
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Will these changes have an impact on the subsequent development of Qualcomm audio chips?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
Absolutely. This is why we have been doing the "Audio Product Usage Status Survey Report" on the consumer side for 6 years. And every year we feed the results back into our R&D program. To some extent, our research reports, as well as the current state of the market that we observe, suggest that we are at a real turning point in the audio industry, where consumers are more demanding.
I think the market is moving very fast these days, so we really value the opinions that consumers put in the survey, which helps drive our product roadmap.
For example, consumers' continued focus on sound quality is one of the reasons why we launched snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology. When we started developing Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology about 3 years ago, we saw consumers' pursuit of high-quality audio, so now we have this technology.
We can now transmit faster than 1 megabit per second, so lossless audio can be achieved that would otherwise not have been possible. The arrival of technology depends largely on the needs of consumers.
The good news is that it's been in the works for about three years, during which time we've received a lot of feedback and we're looking forward to launching more innovations. Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening still has a long way to go.
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What is the difference between the audio market in China and the audio market in other countries or regions?
What are Qualcomm's chances here?
James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business
China is a very innovative market, arguably the world's most focused on the pace of innovation, and ready to try and use new technologies. For a chip company driven by innovation, it's exciting to be part of such a market.
This is also supported by our Audio Product Usage Survey Report, which we found was very high among the Chinese respondents in a range of different listening behaviors, which shows that the Chinese market has a strong demand for advanced audio use cases and sound quality differentiation, and a strong desire for technologies such as lossless audio and high-definition audio.
So I would say that we're deeply influenced by these forward-thinking Chinese consumers, and we've built Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Listening for that group of users to support innovative audio standards that require advanced features to accelerate differentiation.
In general, we are deeply influenced by the Chinese market, as well as the needs of Chinese consumers
I love audio network summaries
In the era of the epidemic, during the weekend week, people are more willing to stay at home, accompanied by music, and light up many colors for life, so audio is very important for many people. Although the sound quality of audio products has made great progress compared with a few years ago, people's pursuit of sound quality is endless, so there are constantly high-definition audio and CD-level sound quality technologies.
There are many brands in the Android camp, audio products are even more dazzling, and there is still a certain gap between the pairing experience between different brand products and the pairing experience between the same brand products. In order to bridge this gap and improve the audio experience of users, Qualcomm launched Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology.
In this interview, James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Voice, Music and Wearables Business, shares the ins and outs of this technology, hoping to provide high-quality audio in a very stable way and reduce the latency of the game. With headphones and mobile phones that support Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon listening technology, you can have such an audio experience. In the future, Qualcomm also plans to introduce this technology into other source devices such as laptops and cars.
Regarding the relationship between mobile phone chips and audio chips in the future, James Chapman also made an answer, what Qualcomm has done is to design the mobile phone chip and the audio chip together, only in this way can we truly optimize the "end-to-end" experience.
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