Good news for Android smartphone owners, all devices could soon receive a major update that will improve sound quality, thanks to Qualcomm.
Qualcomm has announced that its aptX and aptX audio codecs will now be available for free to all smartphone manufacturers, whereas they previously had to pay for a license to use them on their devices. They are now directly integrated into the Android Open Source Apache project and free to use.
” A few months ago we made the decision to include the encoders for aptX Classic and aptX HD in the Android Open Source Project “, announces Qualcomm. ” We are pleased to announce that, under license from Qualcomm, these encoders are now available under AOSP in accordance with [accords de licence] in force. In accordance with our normal business procedures, the license of aptX [restera] unchanged, except for contribution of aptX and aptX HD encoders to AOSP “says the company.
What is aptX and aptX HD?
It is an audio coding algorithm created in the late 1980s that was popular with movie studios and broadcasters. Steven Spielberg was an early adopter for recording audio for digital 5.1 playback for films such as 1993’s Jurassic Park, then Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.
AptX is one of the codecs supported by A2DP, which simply means that it is a set of instructions on how to encode and decode data transmitted over Bluetooth. Today, aptX is practically synonymous with high-fidelity Bluetooth audio.
Unlike a conventional Bluetooth signal, aptX compresses and decompresses your music better and drains your battery less. AptX also introduces less latency than other codecs, which is handy if you’re wearing wireless headphones while watching videos or playing games on your mobile device.
For its part, aptX HD is an evolution of aptX. While aptX is capable of streaming your music at 16-bit/44.1kHz CD-like quality, aptX HD offers better streaming quality and can support high-definition audio up to 24-bit/48kHz. Qualcomm claims it provides “better than CD” sound quality and can even improve the sound of standard resolution music files. The bottom line is that aptX HD was designed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, among other things, which means you should be able to hear the most intricate details in the songs you’re listening to.
Note that aptX HD isn’t the newest or most advanced of Qualcomm’s Bluetooth connections, since the company has since launched aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless. However, it’s the most prevalent in hardware right now, and will likely remain so for some time.
Android smartphones will benefit from a better audio part
According to information from Android Police, Android smartphone manufacturers were all paying up to $6,000 one-time plus a per-device feeto access the encoder.
Even today, not all manufacturers offer these codecs on their smartphones, even the most influential manufacturers on the market. Samsung, for example, never supported aptX HD on their devices.despite the very high price of the recent Galaxy S23.
Now that Qualcomm’s codecs are available for free, more manufacturers are expected to add them to their devices. However, it is not yet known whether or not these can arrive in an update for smartphones already on the marketor if only new devices are eligible.
