Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound Adds aptX Lossless Bluetooth Audio Support

Bluetooth audio has been around for years, but it has seen a significant increase in use thanks to Apple's initiative to remove headphone jacks in smartphones. Unfortunately, Bluetooth headphones, especially tiny earbuds, still lack some of the quality audio performance that wired headsets deliver. Apple has been working on fixing that situation with support for lossless audio in Apple Music, and now Qualcomm is doing the same for the general population with the new aptX Lossless feature coming soon to Snapdragon Sound certified smartphones and audio accessories.

Lossless audio, sometimes called CD quality audio, naturally requires more data and more bandwidth to support with its 16-bit 44.1kHz rate. That's peanuts for cables, but Bluetooth, despite its age and prevalence, the wireless communication technology is still catching up in some regards. Qualcomm is pretty much saying that Bluetooth audio has indeed finally caught up with this new aptX Lossless capability.

Now a part of its Snapdragon Sound certification, aptX Lossless builds up on the slightly new aptX Adaptive codec that it introduced more than three years ago. To achieve this feat, it utilizes Qualcomm's Bluetooth High Speed Link to meet the need for faster, wider, and more stable data throughput. As more music streaming services embrace lossless audio, aptX Lossless promises to keep up with the times and let consumers enjoy that high-quality audio experience these services deliver.

That said, all but the most discerning listeners might actually recognize the quality improvements between lossy and lossless audio over Bluetooth. What the majority of users will probably appreciate more is the improved connection stability that aptX Lossless also brings as part of its foundations. After all, streaming high-quality audio would be pointless if your phone and headphones keep getting disconnected.

Snapdragon Sound's aptX Lossless support doesn't happen by magic, though. In order to experience that CD quality audio, you'll need certified devices on both ends of the line. Unfortunately, the list of certified phones and audio accessories is still a bit vague at the moment, and it might take a while before aptX lossless actually becomes a standard feature in the mobile market.