After launching the QCC514x and QCC304x Bluetooth SoCs earlier this year in March, Qualcomm has now launched the QCC305x chips for next-gen mid-tier and entry-level TWS earbuds. Designed to provide more flexible and cost-sensitive wireless audio options, the new Bluetooth chips are a significant improvement over the QCC304x, and they support many of Qualcomm's premium audio technologies and the new Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio standard.

The new QCC305x Bluetooth SoCs offers support for the following premium audio technologies:

  • TWS earbuds powered by the new Bluetooth chips will support Audio Sharing, which will allow users to stream audio from one smartphone to multiple supported earbuds at the same time.
  • Unlike the QCC304x chip, the new QCC305x SoCs include support for always-on wake word activation for virtual assistants.
  • The chips also feature Qualcomm Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation, which is expected to usher in a new era of mid-range TWS earbuds with ANC support.
  • To enable high-quality listening and low latency streaming while watching videos or playing games, the chips support Qualcomm aptX Adaptive at up to 96KHz audio resolution.
  • The QCC305x SoCs also include support for Qualcomm aptX Voice and Qualcomm cVc Echo Cancellation and Noise Suppression for enhanced voice clarity on calls.
Qualcomm QCC305X Bluetooth SoCs features

Highlighting the benefits offered by Qualcomm's new Bluetooth chips, James Chapman, VP and GM Voice, Music, and Wearables at Qualcomm Technologies International, said:

"We are entering a new era for the expanding truly wireless earbud category, which is diversifying at a terrific rate bringing new use-cases and feature enrichment to products in virtually all tiers. Not only do our QCC305x SoCs bring many of our latest-and-greatest audio features to our mid-range truly wireless earbud portfolio, they are also designed to be developer-ready for the upcoming Bluetooth LE Audio standard. We believe this combination gives our customers great flexibility to innovate at a range of price points and helps them meet the needs of today's audio consumers, many of whom now rely on their truly wireless earbuds for all sorts of entertainment and productivity activities."

Qualcomm QCC304x vs QCC305x

Additionally, Qualcomm revealed that it worked closely with the Bluetooth SIG to bring BLE Audio support to its next-gen Bluetooth chips. This new standard, which was announced earlier this year in January, will extend the capabilities of Bluetooth Classic Audio and offer a host of new possibilities for wireless audio use cases.

Bluetooth LE Audio Qualcomm QCC305x

Qualcomm further highlighted that the QCC305x SoCs are designed to support superior end-to-end operability from a Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered smartphone to Qualcomm Technologies powered earbuds. To enable this true end-to-end experience, Qualcomm's latest flagship Snapdragon 888 SoC, which features the Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 connectivity system, brings mobile-side support for Bluetooth 5.2, LE Audio, aptX audio, and other features.