Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Xiaomi has announced the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi in Barcelona.
- These are the first commercially available earbuds with Qualcomm’s XPAN tech.
- The buds can connect to your device via Wi-Fi for improved range and speed.
Qualcomm promised earlier this year that the first audio products with its XPAN Wi-Fi tech were coming “very very soon.” Well, the waiting is over as Xiaomi has announced the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi variant, the first pair of earbuds with XPAN technology.
These earbuds use Wi-Fi to transmit audio from your smart device instead of Bluetooth. However, the tech can also seamlessly switch between the two standards as needed.
Why would you want wireless audio over Wi-Fi?
Qualcomm previously said that using Wi-Fi allows for higher-quality audio and lower latency without having to choose between the two. Xiaomi specifically says this tech enables 4.2Mbps lossless audio on its buds. Furthermore, Qualcomm says 24-bit 96kHz audio via XPAN consumes the same amount of power as its lossy 96KHz Bluetooth audio solution. The chipmaker even asserts that XPAN uses less power than Bluetooth when streaming equivalent audio quality.
Another major benefit of Qualcomm’s tech is extended range, as you only need to be within range of your Wi-Fi network to transmit audio. The company added at the time that you need a Snapdragon phone to take advantage of this tech. That’s obviously in addition to an audio product with XPAN support. Nevertheless, these buds should still work with other gadgets via regular Bluetooth.
Oddly enough, Xiaomi says the Wi-Fi/XPAN functionality is available first on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. But hopefully the feature comes to other recent Snapdragon-powered Xiaomi handsets.
What else to know about the Buds 5 Pro?
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi model is otherwise identical to the standard, Bluetooth-equipped variant. That means it has active noise cancelation (up to 55 decibels), up to 40 hours of playback with the case, customized “dimensional” audio, wind noise reduction, and gesture controls. The latter extends to gestures for transcription and translation features, too.
Xiaomi confirmed that the Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi variant will retail for €219.99 (~$228). There’s no word on specific launch countries just yet, but we hope these landmark earbuds land in a wide variety of markets.
Disclosure: Hadlee Simons is a guest of Xiaomi in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress. The company has no influence over editorial coverage.
