Qualcomms new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 platform could herald the age of camera-equipped earbuds but are we ready for that?

Date:
Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:30:01 +0000

Description:
The new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 chipset could herald the age of camera-equipped earbuds, but Qualcomm promises this isnt about putting a chatbot in your ear.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter You may have heard the rumors: camera-equipped earbuds are the next frontier for audio technology brands ( including, we think, Apple ), and Qualcomms new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 platform could be the catalyst that brings them to fruition.

As Qualcomms first premium audio platform purpose-built for personal AI, the Sound Elite Gen 2 aims to transform headphones and earbuds into intelligent companions that can understand, assist, and adapt throughout the day and the American silicon giant considers camera-equipped earbuds to be among those companions. Qualcomm flew TechRadar out to Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii to
hear more (no pun intended) about its vision for the AI-assisted future of audio, and the company was bullish about the positive effect AI will have on both sound quality and virtual assistance. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

This isnt about putting a chatbot in your ear; its about creating devices
that understand whats happening around you, Sarah McMurray, Staff Manager for Product Marketing at Qualcomm, explained in a briefing attended by TechRadar, noting that the Sound Elite Gen 2 will use AI to make earbuds more responsive to environmental changes. (Image credit: Qualcomm) At the core of the
platform is an advanced AI-adaptive ANC system designed for consistent, real-world performance, not just ideal conditions, added Grace Bramwell, Qualcomm PR. The system continuously responds to changes in fit, movement,
and environmental noise, maintaining reliable noise cancellation without the need for manual adjustment. You may like Plaud tells us why its new AI
earbuds want to do more than just record The best headphones and earbuds we saw at IFA 2026 These bone conduction headphones have a tiny 4K camera for recordings

Powered by flexible, programmable processing and up to 2x greater AI capability than the previous generation, Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 can intelligently steer ANC filters in real time, optimizing noise reduction across different acoustic conditions and device types. This enables stronger performance in challenging scenarios, including low-frequency noise, dynamic environments, and open-ear designs, while giving OEMs greater flexibility across a wide range of form factors.

In other words, the Sound Elite Gen 2 could make your next earbuds or headphones better at automatically switching between ANC and transparency modes, and deliver improved audio quality in both states (stronger
performance with low-frequency noise, for instance, might mean upcoming earbuds can more effectively drown out the mechanical hum of your fridge or the drone of a passing truck). Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Its worth noting that Qualcomm itself is not a consumer product manufacturer. It licenses its audio technologies to OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) such as Bose and Bowers & Wilkins, so it will be up to those brands to take
up and implement the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 platform in a way that fulfills the potential Qualcomm is describing here. How AI will (supposedly) improve in-ear assistance Of course, Qualcomms plans for the future of audio are bigger than improved ANC. AI-powered audible assistance is the hottest topic in town right now, and apparently, consumers are as keen on the thought of AI-powered assistance as Silicon Valley investors:

Our research tells us that up to 70% of users want advanced AI capabilities
in their wearable devices, says Ziad Asghar, Qualcomms Senior Vice President and General Manager of XR, Wearables, and Personal AI. As AI becomes a core capability, users will increasingly expect more natural ways to interact with it. What to read next My favorite earbuds of the year just got an open-ear makeover, as this top cheap headphone brand debuts 7 new models AirPods with cameras could not arrive at a worse time and I'll just say no 'These things aren't meant to take pictures.' As a fresh clip of camera-equipped AirPods leaks, people appear to have already made their minds up whatever the
experts say

Those interactions won't always happen through a screen. They will happen through natural conversations, where users can simply speak to an AI
assistant and receive help in real time. With Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, we're heralding intelligent audio wearables that enable experiences such as real-time translation, contextual assistance, personalized hearing, and multimodal interactions that combine audio, vision, and AI."

We want to be able to give the consumer the ability to choose how much information they want to share. Ziad Asghar, Qualcomms Senior Vice President and General Manager of XR, Wearables, and Personal AI No current wearables effectively combine those three elements (except perhaps smart glasses, but have you ever tried listening to your favorite album on a pair of Meta Ray-Bans ? Dont. Ever). Thats why OEMs are developing camera-equipped earbuds
theyre truly hands-free and, crucially, more socially acceptable (visually speaking) than Austin Powers-style specs.

But if, as a society, we havent yet cracked the social code on smart glasses (and as our deep-dive on the so-called great privacy revolt reveals, we most definitely havent), are camera-equipped earbuds something were ready for? Qualcomm is cautiously optimistic.

The privacy concern is not new, Asghar explained to TechRadar in a roundtable at Snapdragon Summit. We at Qualcomm and Snapdragon have been managing it for a long time in multiple different areas. And our concept is very clear: we want to be able to give the consumer the ability to choose how much information they want to share.

For instance, we can obfuscate faces. We have the capability on our chipsets to detect a face very easily not recognize a face, but detect a face. To do multi-modality, I dont need to send a face for AI processing; I need to be able to send the context [of my environment]. For that, I can detect the face and cover it up. That technology is something we have integrated into our products and that were sharing with our partners.

Another thing weve been driving is on-device AI. As you do more processing on the device, you basically take away the concern of that image leaving the device [...] We are targeting this problem at every different level. Of course, we enable our customers and partners [to use these tools], and with the pressure and concern thats coming through, we will of course work with them.

I also want to say something, Asghar added. Today, you carry a device with multiple cameras on it: its called a phone. I was talking to a group of students in San Diego, and this [privacy] issue is not top of their mind. Different age groups are thinking about it in different ways. Younger people are so used to blogging and vlogging. I think some of the concern, in my opinion, is just because this is a new form factor. But we want to provide
all the tools [to manufacturers] such that consumers feel comfortable.

Again, it will be up to brands such as Bose and Bowers & Wilkins to implement the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 platform in an effective and ethical way,
but it's clear that Qualcomm is aware of the increasingly negative public sentiment around camera-equipped wearables.

If, however, these OEMs can convince consumers that on-device processing really is as private as Qualcomm claims, perhaps the age of Minority Report-style glasses and earbuds will arrive sooner than we thought. The best open earbuds for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best open earbuds 1. Best overall: Shokz OpenFit 2+ 2. Best cheap around-ear design: Huawei FreeArc 3. Best cheap clip design: Shokz OpenDots One 4. Best high-end clip design: Bose Ultra Open Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/this-isnt-about-putting-a-chat bot-in-your-ear-qualcomms-snapdragon-sound-elite-gen-2-platform-will-use-ai-to -make-your-next-earbuds-sound-better-than-ever-and-its-use-in-camera-buds-wont -be-far-behind


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