Earbuds promising active noise cancellation are about to become more comfortable and reliable.

At the same IFA 2020 keynote where the chipmaker announced its new Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 compute platform for always-connected laptops, Qualcomm also announced Qualcomm Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation ( (ANC) technology. Qualcomm stated that Adaptive ANC technology enables consistent sound quality while improving user comfort.

As James Chapman, Qualcomm's vice president of voice, music, and wearables, explains, most active noise cancellation features depend on how the earphones fit in the ear. For the best sound experience, the earphones need to fit fairly tightly in the ear, and for some users that is not always the most comfortable sensation.

Qualcomm's Adaptive ANC technology, as the label states, adapts to how the earbuds fit in a particular user's ear and makes adjustments in real time to provide the best sound quality during use.

Thanks to Adaptive ANC, there is no need to adjust the earbuds before use or twist them to get a perfect seal in the ear. Instead, Qualcomm's technology should work right out of the box and adapt to the surrounding environment. In theory, you should be able to listen to music, make phone calls, and interact with the onboard digital assistant without any noticeable difference in sound quality or performance. [This is because Qualcomm's annual consumer survey of audio equipment found that 71% of the 5,000 people surveyed considered active noise cancellation an important feature of wireless earbuds. In the same survey, respondents considered comfort as important as battery life for wireless earbuds.

Qualcomm plans to include Adaptive ANC technology in its QCC514x system-on-chip, announced this spring for audio devices. However, there is no word yet on when Adaptive ANC will be included in shipping products.

While one might think of Qualcomm as a company that primarily provides chipsets for cell phones, virtual reality devices, and even laptops, the company also supplies components for the audio industry. Audio product manufacturers that have partnered with Qualcomm include Yamaha, JBL, Plantronics, Jabra, jVC, and Skullcandy.