Mobile chip maker Qualcomm has unveiled its latest chips for earbuds that will help audio manufacturers compete with products like the Apple AirPods Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus

As reported by SlashGear, the flagship QCC514x and mid-range QCC304x Bluetooth chipsets feature active noise cancellation, voice assistant support, and the option to switch the use of one or both buds on the fly, high power efficiency, and other features in a single component Manufacturers can easily implement this chipset in their products, providing a variety of attractive features in earphones at once

The brands at the top of the earphone game have remained the same for some time: Apple's AirPods and AirPods Pro, Jabra's Elite 75t, Sony's WF-1000XM3, and most recently Samsung's Galaxy Buds Plus, but brand recognition and many in-house developments, have ruled the roost for some time But with Qualcomm's chips, other brands could easily rival or even surpass these industry giants

James Chapman, Qualcomm's VP and GM of voice, music, and wearables, told SlashGear that the plan for the new chip is to encourage users to leave their earphones on when they are not playing audio He said this is to This would include features such as active noise cancellation to shut out ambient noise during busy commutes and phone calls, and digital assistant integration that allows users to make reminders and appointments and dictate text messages without having to take their phones out of their pockets Description

For ANC, Qualcomm is also collaborating on the software side, providing manufacturers with preset filter profiles that users can switch between via a companion app The platform's "hybrid ANC" technology is integrated into the chip, which could lead to relatively affordable earphones with noise cancellation (currently, if you need this benefit, $199 WF-1000XM3 or $249 AirPods Pro headphones)

The more advanced QCC514x chipset supports wakeword activation for voice assistants and has two programmable digital signal processors (DSPs) that manufacturers can tailor to their needs Incidentally, the AirPod Pro has a 43mAh battery that lasts about 45 hours before needing to be recharged The simpler QCC304x, on the other hand, has a single configurable DSP and requires a button press to activate the voice assistant

Both of these chips are expected to ship to manufacturers in April So, if the companies involved do not encounter coronavirus-related problems in shipping and assembly, expect to see new earbuds using these chips by the end of the year