After two and a half years, Xiaomi launched a new generation of flagship TWS headphones - Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro, which is regarded as Xiaomi's strongest sound quality headphones. It is worth noting that this generation of headphones is available in two versions: Bluetooth version and Wi-Fi version, priced at 1,299 yuan and 1,499 yuan respectively. The Wi-Fi version is the first headphone in China to use Wi-Fi audio transmission.
WiFi transmits audio, entering the TWS headset red ocean
It is reported that the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi version is directly connected through private Wi-Fi technology, breaking through the bottleneck of traditional TWS transmission, and can bring extremely high transmission rate, better interference performance, bandwidth up to 4.2Mbps master-level lossless, and sound quality is 3 times higher than CD-level lossless sound quality.
In terms of technology, the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi version replaced the flagship TWS headphone chip from Hengxuan to Qualcomm. It is the world's first wireless headset equipped with the Snapdragon S7 Pro Gen 1 audio platform and uses Qualcomm audio transmission technology XPAN.
It is reported that Qualcomm released the first generation of Snapdragon S7 and S7 Pro audio platforms in 2023. The first generation of Snapdragon S7 Pro audio platform includes ultra-low power Wi-Fi and Qualcomm Extended Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology, which is currently the only audio chip that supports Wi-Fi function.
XPAN technology can achieve seamless switching between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, thereby avoiding problems before signal loss or quality drops to a noticeable level. It also supports up to 24-bit 192kHz lossless audio. The power consumption when transmitting 24-bit 96kHz lossless audio is equivalent to the existing Bluetooth 48kHz lossy standard, while also taking into account low latency.
In terms of battery life, it is well known that Wi-Fi transmission does not have an advantage in battery life. Therefore, the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi version is equipped with the Xiaomi Jinshajiang battery, which allows the TWS headset to increase its power by 21% compared to the Bluetooth version without changing its size, achieving a battery life of up to 10 hours, thereby improving battery life.
However, it is worth noting that Xiaomi Mall emphasizes that the Wi-Fi transmission function of this product needs to be used with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra mobile phone, and the Bluetooth headset function can be used when connected to other mobile phones. More models are being adapted.
Before the release of the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi version, Qualcomm had no actual products supporting the S7 Pro audio platform, but said in January this year: "We are very happy to work with several customers to promote the launch of the first batch of XPAN devices, which will be announced soon."
Wi-Fi headsets are here, so what about UWB
After development in recent years, UWB has gradually become a standard technology for core devices, and is expected to keep pace with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The release of Xiaomi's Wi-Fi version of wireless headsets can't help but make people full of reverie about the launch of UWB headsets.
Also belonging to short-range IoT technology, UWB theoretically has great potential in the application scenario of TWS headsets:
1.UWB high bandwidth has better audio transmission capabilities and higher transmission rates, which can reach tens of Mbps or even higher, far exceeding the transmission rate of Bluetooth. However, due to bandwidth limitations, Bluetooth has not been able to support lossless audio transmission;
2.UWB is insensitive to channel fading and has stronger penetration, which allows it to maintain a stable connection in complex environments and achieve lower latency;
3.In addition, UWB also has excellent positioning capabilities and can provide centimeter-level positioning accuracy, which is unmatched by Bluetooth.
However, in the audio transmission scenario, UWB consumes more power than Bluetooth. In response to this shortcoming, Spark Microsystems, a UWB manufacturer in the industry, has technically transmitted data signals by sending nanosecond non-sinusoidal narrow pulses, achieving power consumption that is 100 times lower than BLE low-power Bluetooth, and has launched several headphone product lines on the consumer side.
The development of UWB technology is inseparable from the increase in the number of devices, which can not only allow more users to experience its convenience, but also promote the continuous updating and iteration of technology, and promote the application of UWB technology in more scenarios.
As the progress of UWB technology entering mobile phones accelerates, it is expected that in 2025, we will see more domestic mainstream mobile phone brands launch new models equipped with UWB chips, driving the popularization of UWB technology and the expansion of application scenarios.
This paper is from Ulink Media, Shenzhen, China, the organizer of IOTE EXPO (IoT Expo in China)
