On the second day of the Snapdragon Summit that began on the 15th, Qualcomm announced the launch of the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 platform, which provides breakthrough AR technology and unlocks a new generation of stylish and powerful glasses. It also launched the Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 Audio Platform and Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Audio Platform, which are known as the most advanced Bluetooth audio platforms, both of which support Snapdragon Sound technology and are equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform.
In terms of Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1, the Snapdragon AR2 built from scratch will completely change the appearance of head-mounted glasses and open a new era of spatial computing experience that integrates the real world/metaverse. As far as it is specially designed for AR, Qualcomm has established a multi-chip distributed processing architecture, combined with customized IP blocks, to create the thinnest high-performance AR glasses possible. The PCB area of the AR2 main processor is reduced by 40%, the AI performance is increased by 2.5 times, and the power consumption is reduced by 50%, helping to create AR glasses with a power consumption of less than 1 watt. Users can wear it comfortably for a long time and enjoy a rich AR experience, and meet the needs of consumer and enterprise use cases.
To balance the weight and reduce the arm width on both sides of the glasses, Snapdragon nAR2 uses an AR processor, AR co-processor, and connectivity platform multi-chip architecture. Snapdragon AR2 dynamically allocates latency-sensitive data directly to glasses for processing, and more complex data to Snapdragon-powered smartphones, PCs, or other compatible devices. And the AR processor is optimized for low latency from motion to display and supports up to 9 simultaneous camera shots to understand the user and the environment. Enhanced sensing features include a dedicated hardware acceleration engine to improve user motion tracking and positioning, an AI accelerator to reduce latency for sensitive input interactions such as hand tracking or six degrees of freedom and a smoother re-projection engine.
Finally, connect the platform through the Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 system to unlock the world’s fastest Wi-Fi 7 technology, and the delay between AR glasses and smartphones and host devices is less than 2 milliseconds. Integrating FastConnect XR software suite 2.0, it can control XR data to improve latency, reduce jitter and avoid unnecessary interference.
Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 audio platform and Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 audio platform support Snapdragon Sound technology, feature-rich and extremely low power consumption, optimize support for the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform, add new features to Snapdragon Sound, including dynamic head Internally tracked spatial audio, enhanced lossless music streaming, and 48ms low latency for phones and headphones for a zero-lag gaming experience.
James Chapman, vice president of Qualcomm Technologies and general manager of voice, music, and wearable devices said that the new generation of Qualcomm S5 and S3 audio platforms are designed to provide the rich features consumers want most while providing ultra-low power consumption. Qualcomm was the first company to offer lossless audio quality over Bluetooth and has since continued to innovate. According to the 2022 State of Sound Consumer Study, more than half of consumers will want spatial audio features when purchasing their next pair of wireless headphones. Qualcomm will introduce dynamic head-tracking spatial audio to the latest platform for Snapdragon Sound technology, support Bluetooth LE Audio lossless sound quality, and have lower latency.
Qualcomm’s two new platforms also support the third-generation Qualcomm Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (Adaptive ANC) technology, which can be adjusted according to the degree of in-ear fit and the user’s external environment to enhance the listening experience. Qualcomm Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation also includes Adaptive Transparency Mode, built-in automatic voice detection, and supports smooth switching between immersive noise reduction and transparency mode, allowing users to naturally pass through the earphones when they need to hear external sounds. For audio device developers, more powerful ANC technology can help overcome common problems such as wind, howling, and anomalies. Customer samples of the Qualcomm S5 and S3 Gen 2 audio platforms are already available, with commercial products launching in the second half of 2023.
