The S3 Gen 3 and the S5 Gen 3 are Qualcomm’s two new sound platforms: on-device AI, better ANC, more power

Qualcomm introduces two new sound platforms: the Qualcomm S3 Gen 3 and the Qualcomm S5 Gen 3. Right now, these are the most powerful platforms in their respective series, and will soon find their way to mid-tier (S3 Gen 3) and premium (S5 Gen 3) devices like earbuds, headphones, and speakers.

It’s been less than a year since Qualcomm unveiled the S3 Gen 2 platform.

Qualcomm S3 Gen 3

The Qualcomm S3 Gen 3 sound platform is meant to enrich the mid-tier segment. This platform supports 3rd party solutions from the Qualcomm Voice & Music Extension Program, an ecosystem of providers that offers technologies optimized to complement and enhance Qualcomm Sound platforms. This is how one gets hearing enhancement, spatial audio, echo cancellation and health tracking on cans (or speakers) that don’t cost a fortune.The S3 Gen 3 Sound platform is designed to support aptX lossless streaming at 24-bit 48kHz. The audio DAC performance has also been improved to deliver enhanced SNR and reduce noise floor.

“The S3 Gen 3 is our most powerful ever S3 platform, with up to twice the compute power and significantly more processing capability than the previous generation S3 Gen 2 Sound platform”, Qualcomm’s statement reads.

Qualcomm S5 Gen 3

Moving up the ladder, the S5 Gen 3 platform features 3 times more compute and 50 times more AI power than its predecessor: “The Qualcomm S5 Gen 3 Sound Platform’s new architecture and increased AI capabilities give OEMs a platform to develop intelligent devices that can monitor the user’s environment, in addition to how the device is being used, and respond accordingly.”

A new platform architecture with 50% more memory and significantly more DSP power than its predecessor, will help take the performance of earbuds, headphones, and speakers to the next-level. Optimized for use cases including music listening, gaming and enterprise, the Qualcomm S5 Gen 3 Sound Platform can offer rich and immersive sound, whilst maintaining ultra-low power performance.

It supports Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless to deliver high bit-rate audiophile music streaming at 24-bit 48kHz and offers improved DAC performance for higher audio quality.

Powerful on-device AI maximizes audio performance and enhances the user experience for many use cases. The data is processed locally on-device for enhanced security and peace of mind, Qualcomm claims.

Also, the Gen 3 of the S5 platform is the first one to feature the 4th Generation Qualcomm ANC, “delivering our strongest ever ANC performance”. ANC stands for Active Noise Cancellation.