Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Qualcomm has confirmed that new XPAN-enabled products are in the works, as well as new versions of XPAN.
- This news comes over a year after we saw the last XPAN-enabled products from a major manufacturer.
- XPAN uses Wi-Fi to transmit audio instead of Bluetooth, resulting in longer range and better stability.
Qualcomm launched its XPAN technology a few years ago, promising an intriguing alternative to Bluetooth audio. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen products with this tech in over a year. This left us wondering about the fate of XPAN, but Qualcomm has now confirmed that more products are on the way.
We asked Qualcomm representative Shamly N.V. during a media briefing whether more XPAN-enabled products are coming in 2026 and beyond:
There are products in the pipeline which will enable Qualcomm XPAN technologies and you will see products coming along, yes.
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The representative didn’t reveal any more details about these products or rough launch windows. Nevertheless, we really hope this means more phones and audio products with XPAN are coming soon.
Xiaomi launched the XPAN-toting Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi Edition over a year ago. However, these earbuds only supported XPAN connectivity on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. In fact, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra also seemed to be the only major phone with XPAN in the first place.
For the uninitiated, XPAN connects to your Wi-Fi network and uses Wi-Fi to transmit audio instead of Bluetooth. Qualcomm says this solution delivers massively improved range and stability compared to Bluetooth. Furthermore, Qualcomm says lossless 24-bit 96KHz audio via its Wi-Fi solution consumes the same amount of power as its lossy 96KHz Bluetooth solution. The chip designer adds that you don’t have to choose between low latency or high bit-rate audio.
We also asked Qualcomm whether XPAN could get updates akin to Bluetooth versions:
Definitely. Yeah, there are next versions of XPAN being planned (sic). You will see that coming in the next products that we are launching, the newer versions of XPAN, so of course we do make generation-to-generation improvements in all of our technologies.
For what it’s worth, Qualcomm’s tech requires the Snapdragon S7 Pro audio processor. So it stands to reason that a successor chipset would bring an upgraded version of XPAN. Furthermore, a Qualcomm representative hinted to us that we could see XPAN-related announcements at the next Snapdragon Summit. Putting two and two together, don’t be surprised if an upgraded XPAN and a new audio chip are launched in Hawaii later this year.
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