Xiaomi has given a European launch to its Buds 5 Pro, the first earbuds to use Qualcomm’s S7 Pro chip to stream audio over Wi-Fi, in addition to Bluetooth, with no increase in power consumption. Qualcomm announced the technology in October 2023, and this is the first hardware to launch.
The Buds 5 Pro were announced in China on Thursday, alongside the 15 Ultra phone, which is also launching in Europe. They come in two versions: a regular Bluetooth model, and a Wi-Fi version that uses Qualcomm’s Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) tech to deliver 96kHz/24bit lossless audio at a bandwidth of up to 4.2Mbps, superior to anything you can get over Bluetooth. You’ll also be able to walk away from your phone without the connection deteriorating, so long as you stay within the range of your Wi-Fi network.
There are caveats. The obvious one is that you’ll need to be on Wi-Fi, so you’re only likely to get the benefits of better audio on your home network. When it announced XPAN in 2023, Qualcomm told The Verge that your phone will pass over Wi-Fi credentials during pairing, but we don’t yet know whether the buds can handle connections to multiple networks, so that they work in the office too. Still, whenever Wi-Fi is unavailable, the buds can always fall back on Bluetooth.
For now, these buds are only compatible with the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra. That may change eventually, but hardware limitations mean they could only ever work with phones featuring a compatible Qualcomm flagship chipset, such as the 8 Gen 3 or 8 Elite. That rules out ever using these over Wi-Fi with any iPhone or other Apple tech.
The 10-hour battery life on the buds (with up to 40 including the case) is better than the eight hours of the Bluetooth model, backing up Qualcomm’s claim that it can deliver lossless Wi-Fi audio at the same power consumption as Bluetooth.
Audio comes from a triple-driver system, with an 11mm main driver backed up by a PZT tweeter and planar driver. There’s support for active noise cancellation, and an array of AI features built-in including call recording, transcription, and translation.
The Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi are available for £189.99 (around $240) and only come in black. They cost a little more than the £159.99 (around $200) Bluetooth-only version, available in white or gray.
Update, March 2nd: Added confirmation of compatible phones.
