Even though Bluetooth technology has evolved enormously in recent years, it still has a range problem. When using wireless headphones, you only need to move far enough away from the transmitting device (a smartphone, a PC, etc.) for you to lose the signal. To solve this problem, the company Qualcomm offers a radical solution: Wifi headphones.
In late 2023, Qualcomm introduced its S7 Pro Gen 1 chip for wireless headphones. And among the new features of this platform is a technology called Qualcomm Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) and micro-power Wi-Fi connectivity. Thanks to this technology which relies on Wifi, Qualcomm promises coverage which extends to an entire house or an entire building. In other words, when you are at home or at work, you should no longer have any problems with Bluetooth coverage.
Wifi headphones are back in the news in 2025
This Qualcomm technology had been somewhat forgotten. In fact, no product taking advantage of it has been launched in 2024. But, at the start of the year, it is back in the news. Indeed, as reported by our colleagues at Android Authority, Qualcomm recently announced the upcoming arrival of the first Wifi wireless headphones.
“We are excited to collaborate with several of our customers to bring the first XPAN-equipped devices to market, which will be announced very, very soon”indicates Qualcomm in a press release relayed by the media.
According to Android Authority’s explanations, WiFi headphones could also improve the experience for gamers. Indeed, thanks to Qualcomm technology, they would no longer need to choose between high audio bitrate and low latency. Otherwise, switching between Bluetooth and Wifi would happen automatically. Thus, the headphones could use a Bluetooth connection when the transmitting device is nearby, and automatically switch the audio stream to a Wifi connection when the user moves away.
- In 2023, Qualcomm introduced a wireless earphone chip that is capable of using Wifi instead of Bluetooth to receive the audio stream
- And according to a press release relayed by Android Authority, the first headphones using this technology are arriving soon
- The advantage of WiFi is that it allows for greater coverage.
