Qualcomm, if you’re not familiar with them, makes chips and processors for various devices on the consumer tech market. The most familiar use of Qualcomm chips are smartphones, but they also live in devices like headphones, and its latest Qualcomm S3 Gen 3 Sound platform promises to elevate the sound experience for users of multiple audio brands.

Qualcomm S3 Gen 3 Sound Key Points

• The Qualcomm S3 Gen 3 Sound platform offers an unprecedented level of customization and flexibility to OEMs, via support for a wide range of 3rd party feature enhancements available from the Qualcomm Voice and Music Extension Program. Additionally, the platform brings audiophile sound quality to a broader range of listeners thanks to support for Snapdragon Sound and 24-bit 48kHz lossless music streaming.
• The Qualcomm S5 Gen 3 Sound Platform leverages a new standard architecture based on the Qualcomm S7 Sound Platform, which will allow developers to create with more ease. It also provides 50 times more AI power than its predecessor 2 and will enable responsive and seamless audio experiences thanks to AI enhanced ANC and voice processing while maintaining performance at ultra-low power consumption.

Here’s what the company’s press release had to say about their new platform.

The Qualcomm S3 Gen 3 Sound platform has been designed to bring rich experiences to mid-tier devices via its unprecedented support for 3rd party solutions from the Qualcomm Voice & Music Extension Program. The program is a vibrant ecosystem of providers that offers innovative technologies optimized to complement and enhance Qualcomm Sound platforms.

These technologies are validated in advance, helping OEMs balance time to market and provide consumers with all the rich features they want, including hearing enhancement, spatial audio, echo cancellation and health tracking.

In the premium tier, the Qualcomm S5 Gen 3 Sound Platform and its new architecture will help drive developer innovation to deliver elevated sound experiences. It also features 3 times more compute and 50 times more AI power than its predecessor. This allows the platform to power devices that can respond to how and where a device is being used for seamless and responsive sound experiences at work, at home and on the go.

“Across our portfolio, we are committed to elevating the sound experience — from ultra-premium with S7, to premium with S5 and mid-tier for S3. We’re proud to announce our powerful new Qualcomm S5 and S3 Sound platforms which will help to drive a new generation of audio innovation.” said Dino Bekis, vice president and general manager, Wearables and Mixed Signals Solutions, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“Consumers want richer features and experiences at more accessible price points and the Qualcomm Voice & Music Extension Program will provide OEMs with a significant competitive advantage and a stronger ability to differentiate, thanks to extensive access to some of the most innovative audio technologies in the world. Additionally, for premium tier devices, the S5 Gen 3’s new architecture and increased AI capabilities give OEMs a platform to develop intelligent devices that can monitor the user’s environment, in addition to how the device is being used, and respond accordingly.”

“We are excited to soon introduce the world’s first device powered by Qualcomm S3 Gen 3 Sound platform,” said Youfei Wang, General Manager of the Intelligent terminal development department, vivo. “By utilizing this powerful platform, we are bringing audiophile quality music listening to our customers, so they can hear their music exactly as the artist intended. Stay tuned for the launch.”