Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 Brings On-Device AI to a New Generation of Audio Wearables

Qualcomm is taking its audio platform beyond better sound with Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, a new platform built around AI, connectivity and voice-powered experiences.

The platform is designed for a new wave of intelligent audio wearables that can understand what users say, respond in real time and adapt to their surroundings. Qualcomm says it can support experiences such as real-time translation, contextual assistance and personalized hearing.

Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 doubles AI capability

Qualcomm says Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 delivers up to 2x the AI capability of its predecessor while using up to 40% less power. The platform is also up to 30% smaller, giving manufacturers more room to build compact devices.

Among the highlights is the additionon micro-power Wi-Fi 6E, which allows compatible wearables to connect directly to the cloud. Qualcomm says Snapdragon Sound Apps & Agents can bring AI assistants, services and other content directly to these devices.

The platform also supports camera-enabled wearables, including devices that can use cameras to understand the user’s surroundings rather than simply taking photos.

From earbuds to AI-powered glasses

Sound remains a major part of the platform. Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 supports aptX Lossless and XPAN, while Qualcomm’s fifth-generation ANC, cVc technology and multi-microphone support are designed to improve noise cancellation, speech capture and voice clarity.

The new Snapdragon Audio Sense Solution also uses microphones and AI algorithms to help wearables better pick up voices and sounds around the user.

Qualcomm says the platform can power earbuds, headphones, open-ear devices, hybrid audio products, camera-enabled earbuds, audio glasses and future multimodal wearables. Cleer also showed an early concept combining audio, vision and AI at Snapdragon Summit 2026.