Bluetooth audio has removed troublesome cables from earphones and headphones, while also offering convenient functions such as noise canceling (ANC) and voice calls. Even today, wired connections are still superior when it comes to sound quality and connection stability, especially in situations where dropouts become noticeable. Still, technological innovation continues every year, and the gap between wired and wireless audio is slowly getting smaller.
One of the topics attracting attention in 2026 is the Snapdragon Sound™ Technology Suite developed by Qualcomm, along with Qualcomm Expanded Personal Area Network Technology (XPAN).
Qualcomm XPAN is a technology that goes beyond the conventional framework of Bluetooth audio by combining it with Wi-Fi. This technology has already been introduced several times on this site, and compatible products have appeared on the market this year. Even so, the number of available products remains limited, and chances to try them in everyday conditions are still relatively rare.
At BestTechRadar, we have been following the development of these wireless audio technologies closely, particularly as XPAN begins to appear in consumer products.
Event overview
The event brought together a broad range of participants.
During the event, Nigel Burgess, Director of Product Management, and Carrie Zhang, Product Manager at Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., gave presentations on the company’s latest technologies. A listening comparison was also carried out using high-end audio equipment to demonstrate the differences between Qualcomm XPAN and conventional Bluetooth. Technical explanations were provided with support from Tsutomu Oshima of Qualcomm Japan.
What are Snapdragon Sound and Qualcomm XPAN?
Qualcomm XPAN stands for Expanded Personal Area Network Technology. In simple terms, it is an audio transmission technology that combines Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, using Qualcomm’s low-power Wi-Fi implementation to carry the audio signal.
According to explanations from Qualcomm representatives, the main advantage of combining Bluetooth and Wi-Fi lies in the ability to take advantage of Wi-Fi’s much wider bandwidth. Compared to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi offers a significantly broader frequency range. The low-power Wi-Fi technology used by Qualcomm XPAN is based on standard Wi-Fi and is designed to operate across the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands.
By making use of this bandwidth, Qualcomm XPAN supports lossless transmission of high-resolution audio at up to 96kHz and 24-bit. Its resistance to dropouts is also clearly higher than that of conventional Bluetooth audio. While current implementations are limited to 96kHz and 24-bit, lossless transmission at 192kHz and 24-bit is technically possible, and research into surround audio transmission is still ongoing. Even so, the Wi-Fi used by Qualcomm XPAN is designed to operate with low power consumption. Because of this, battery life is not expected to become drastically shorter than before.
Qualcomm XPAN also supports different connection methods. In addition to direct peer-to-peer connections between a player and earphones, it can also operate through a standard home Wi-Fi router.
If this approach becomes more common, users should be able to continue listening without interruptions even when moving farther away from the playback device or when communication conditions change. In such situations, the connection can switch from a peer-to-peer link to a home network connection while playback continues.
Snapdragon Sound as the foundation of XPAN
The foundation of Qualcomm XPAN is Snapdragon Sound.
Snapdragon Sound is a wireless audio platform that integrates Qualcomm technologies such as high-performance processors, on-device AI, premium audio processing, and low-power wireless communication. The goal is to balance sound quality, robustness, and low latency. Within this framework, Qualcomm XPAN is positioned as one of the supported technologies.
One of the key topics within Snapdragon Sound is the Qualcomm aptX Lossless codec. This codec extends Qualcomm aptX Adaptive, which automatically adjusts between sound quality and stability depending on radio conditions. aptX Lossless enables near-lossless transmission of CD-quality audio at 44.1kHz and 16-bit.
The number of earphones and Bluetooth amplifiers compatible with aptX Lossless continues to increase, and USB Bluetooth transmitters have also been released by several manufacturers. As a result, this has become one of the most accessible Qualcomm audio technologies available today.
Listening comparison and measurements
After the overview of Qualcomm XPAN, the event moved on to its main segment: the listening comparison.
The listening system used a Qualcomm XPAN evaluation board, which was shown publicly in Japan for the first time. This board can receive audio from a smartphone via Qualcomm XPAN or conventional Bluetooth using aptX Lossless or SBC, and output the signal digitally. Because it was designed for true wireless earphones, separate boards were used for the left and right channels and then combined for stereo playback.
The digital output was connected to an Accuphase E-800S integrated amplifier with an optional DAC board and played through Bowers & Wilkins 803 D3 speakers. The system represented a high-end audio setup valued at several million yen.
The listening session was guided by audio critic Kenzo Konoe, with additional technical explanations provided by Yoshitaka Murayama of Cear Co., Ltd. Cear has worked closely with Qualcomm for more than ten years and has been certified as an Extension Partner. The company carries out acoustic measurements based on Snapdragon Sound standards and provides technical consulting.
Measurement data presented during the session showed multi-tone signals transmitted using Qualcomm XPAN at 96kHz and 24-bit, aptX Lossless at 44.1kHz and 16-bit, and SBC. These measurements illustrated clear differences in frequency response and dynamic range.
With SBC transmission, the waveform differed significantly from the original signal, and dynamic range was limited to around 25dB. aptX Lossless preserved the waveform more accurately and achieved a dynamic range of approximately 75dB. Qualcomm XPAN came closest to the original signal, with a dynamic range of around 135dB, exceeding the limits of human hearing.
Listening impressions reflected these results. SBC transmission introduced noticeable background roughness, particularly in reverberation and spatial details. As transmission quality improved, these artifacts became less apparent, and characteristics such as vocal extension, spatial openness, and clarity were easier to notice.
Two tracks were used for comparison. In a male singer-songwriter recording, low-frequency richness and resonance increased as the transmission method improved. In a female vocal track, improvements were most noticeable in vocal extension, transparency, and spatial presentation.
Products on display
The venue also featured demonstration booths with commercially available products supporting Qualcomm XPAN and Snapdragon Sound.
At present, the only products supporting Qualcomm XPAN are Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra smartphone and the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi true wireless earphones. This combination allows users to experience XPAN directly and to compare it with aptX Lossless and Bluetooth LE Audio through simple settings.
The Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi feature a driver configuration that combines a dynamic driver, planar driver, and piezoelectric ceramic tweeter arranged coaxially and driven by dual amplifiers. They also include ANC, sound modes tuned in collaboration with Harman, head-tracking audio, and other features.
Snapdragon Sound demonstration devices also included Sharp’s AQUOS R10 and AQUOS R9 smartphones, Audio-Technica’s ATH-TWX9 MKII true wireless earphones, several Bose QuietComfort Ultra models, and Cear’s Snapdragon Sound-compatible Bluetooth speaker Pave CP-4000.
Closing remarks
In closing, Qualcomm representatives spoke about the listening experiences the company aims to deliver through technologies such as XPAN.
They explained that Qualcomm XPAN is intended to allow users to enjoy high-quality sound more freely in everyday situations, without being tied to a fixed listening position. They also mentioned future efforts to integrate AI more closely with music streaming services in order to make content discovery easier.
Qualcomm will continue contributing not only through product development, but also through broader industry initiatives, including support for Bluetooth High Data Throughput.