Qualcomm aptX and aptX HD audio codecs have been added to the AOSP open source project
One of the biggest issues with TWS and any other type of wireless earphones is the limited support for various audio codecs. Many people can only rely on less optimal SBC or AAC codecs simply because these two formats are supported by most devices.
As the largest supplier of smartphone chips, Qualcomm has launched the aptX series of proprietary audio codecs for wireless earphones, mainly including aptX, aptX-HD, and aptX Low Latency. Among them, aptX-HD provides a maximum transmission speed of 576kbit/s and supports a maximum sampling rate of 24bit/48kHz, mainly targeting Sony’s LDAC. If manufacturers want to use Qualcomm chips that support the aptX series codecs in their phones, they have to pay patent fees, which has led companies like Samsung to decide not to provide support.
According to Android Police, just like Sony’s LDAC codec, Qualcomm has decided to add support for the aptX series audio codecs in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which means that all Android devices can support aptX and aptX HD without paying any patent fees. This is likely to encourage more device manufacturers to support these technologies. However, some more advanced aptX versions, such as aptX Adaptive and aptX Low Latency, are not included, which means that wireless earphone manufacturers still have to pay patent fees to Qualcomm.
Due to its strong ability to reproduce sound and good compatibility, Sony’s LDAC codec is becoming more and more popular and is widely adopted by more headphone products. Qualcomm’s move is one of its responses to this trend. In any case, this is still good news for consumers, who will benefit in the long run from Qualcomm’s changes.
