Truly wireless earbuds have increased in popularity in recent times and one of the premium features available to consumers is active noise cancellation. The feature previously needed manufacturers to develop the technology separately for their products on their own, however that might change as Qualcomm has announced their Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology which would be directly integrated into their Audio SoCs.
Having Adaptive ANC already built into the chip simplifies the process for OEMs to add noise cancellation technology to their products. Qualcomm has designed Adaptive ANC to be seamless with the user, with the ability to operate and transition between all modes. It can dynamically adapt its performance in real-time based on the fit and level of leak-through of the earbuds.
The technology will first appear on Qualcomm’s QCC514x Bluetooth Audio SoCs , which is a premium chip that also supports Voice Assistants, premium wireless audio quality, and extended battery life.
Commenting on the launch, James Chapman, vice president and general manager, Voice, Music & Wearables, Qualcomm Technologies, International, Ltd. said:
Our 2020 State of Play report found that consumer demand for active noise cancellation has increased year on year and it is now the fourth most wanted feature for earbuds. This makes it a key differentiator for manufacturers. However, it can sometimes be difficult for OEMs to deliver consistent ANC performance because earbuds will not always have the same fit or be placed in the ear in the same way, and both how and where a consumer uses these devices can vary greatly. We have designed our Qualcomm Adaptive ANC to help customers deliver consistent performance levels and great sound for the largest possible number of consumers.