Qualcomm: Bluetooth HDT could bring lossless audio to iPhone and Pixel

At Snapdragon Summit 2026 Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 chip with Bluetooth HDT support, a new SIG standard for lossless streaming that removes the need for Qualcomm's proprietary QHS link. The company says it welcomes Samsung, Google and Apple adopting the standard, while aptX keeps certification and adaptive bitrate scaling.

• Bluetooth HDT enables lossless streaming without a Qualcomm phone plus Qualcomm earbuds pairing
• Samsung, Google and Apple don't support aptX Lossless; HDT could change that
• XPAN over Wi-Fi offers 96kHz lossless, with the chip capable of 192kHz
• New AI Speech Bubble feature blocks nearby voices during calls