Available now, the Sennheiser brand today launches their latest generation flagship earbuds MOMENTUM True Wireless 4. Packed with over a dozen upgrades and future-facing technologies such as Snapdragon Sound Technology with Qualcomm aptX Lossless Technology, Auracast, and ultra-low-latency mode, the portable powerhouse series brings uncompromised sound to the high-performance audio enthusiast.

"Sound quality will always be a top priority for our customers, and we are seeing increasing demand for the application of it out in the real world," says Frank Foppe, Sennheiser Product Manager, "With higher quality hardware and our widest range of wireless technology support ever, MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 grows with the consumer's needs no matter how dynamic they currently are—or will become in the future."

Samsung Electronics today announced new software updates to Galaxy Buds2 Pro and Samsung Smart TVs, reshaping the audio experiences across even more connected devices. The new updates extend LE Audio capabilities to Samsung TVs with Auracast broadcast audio technology, enabling rich and complex audio transmission to nearby Bluetooth devices.

LE Audio, an advanced Bluetooth audio standard, broadens the spectrum of audio experiences to deliver more complex and richer sound that goes beyond providing better-sounding music, but also allows users to share sound with others as they personally experience it. As a pioneer of innovative technologies, Samsung has been leveraging new LE Audio-based features that further elevate sound experiences, including 360 Audio Recording, enabling Galaxy smartphone users to capture sound on video precisely as they hear it without the need for professional equipment. Additionally, the select Galaxy Book3 devices offer a crystal clear listening experience with improved latency—perfect for immersive gaming and multimedia consumption.

Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. today unveiled an addition to the Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound platform portfolio. This newly enhanced solution is optimized for gaming. It combines Snapdragon Sound and LE Audio to deliver ultra-low latency of less than 20 ms for lag-free wireless audio with voice back-channel for in-game chat. When delivering game audio only, the latency is further reduced.

The solution will also support the latest LE Audio Auracast broadcast capabilities for dongles and adapters, which can transform devices such as TVs, phones, laptops, PCs, consoles and a wide range of other audio equipment into premium broadcast platforms. For music listening, 24-bit 96 kHz high-resolution Bluetooth streaming is supported using Snapdragon Sound and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio technology. Snapdragon Sound allows for premium music playback, so listeners can hear every detail of their music just as the artist intended it to be heard.

Considering all the buzz around WiFi 7, there weren't many live demos at Computex, but Realtek had a demo running in its suite at the show. Realtek will offer both client and router/AP solutions, with their client product which goes under the RTL8922AE model name, coming in M.2 2230 and 1620 formats, where the latter is a solder down module. To simulate a real world scenario, Realtek was running a second radio to cause some additional interference, but the RTL8922AE test setup was still capable of delivering between 1,750 and 1,950 Mbps, which is almost twice as fast as WiFi 6, using a similar 2x2 antenna setup. This was obviously over a fairly short distance, so the question is how well WiFi 7 will work over longer distances.

The RTL8922AE has a claimed maximum sync speed of 2800 Mbps when connected to the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands simultaneously and combining the bandwidth of both bands. However, it is limited to a 160 MHz channel bandwidth, whereas WiFi 7 can go up to a 320 MHz wide channel, but it's unclear if competing first gen clients will support this. The RTL8922AE also incorporates support for Bluetooth 5.4 and is as far as we're aware one of the first WiFi chips to support the upcoming standard that mostly focuses on improving BLE Audio and Auracast support. The RTL8922AE should launch sometime in the fourth quarter this year to Realtek's customers, so it might not appear on the market until early 2024.

Philips brand licensee TP Vision, has launched updated versions of several of its earphones and headphones, with two new, high-end Fidelio products. The Fidelio L4 is an updated version of last year's L3, that adds a slimmer headband with leather trim, as well as an overall sleeker look. However, maybe more importantly, The L4 appears to have a non Qualcomm Bluetooth chipset, so gone is aptX support, in favour of LC3 and LDAC support. The Bluetooth 5.3 chipset also supports Auracast and Philips seems to be the first company to announce support for the standard. The speaker drivers remain at 40 mm and Philips have further improved the noise cancelling by relocating the microphones. The battery life has also seen an increase, by a whole 12 hours with ANC off and eight hours with it on, for a total of 50 hours with ANC off and 40 hours with it on. Thankfully Philips also dumped the 2.5 mm audio jack in favour of a standard 3.5 mm jack and charging is of course done via USB-C.

Last year's Fidelio T1 wireless IEMs were a bit of a bust, at least based on the fairly negative reviews the earphones, got and this year's T2 model has been given a big design overhaul. The new design is 20 percent smaller than the T1, but it still screams Philips and has an odd retro Bluetooth headset kind of look to it. As with the L4, the T2 is based on a Bluetooth 5.3 capable chipset and supports LC3, LDAC and Auracast. Like the T1, the T2 sports a dynamic driver, as well as a balanced armature driver, although the dynamic driver has shrunk somewhat from 10 to 9.2 mm in size. The T2 sports nine hours of battery life with ANC enabled or 10 hours with it disabled. The charging case adds a further 27 to 30 hours battery life. A full charge taxes two hours, but a five minute top up adds an hour worth of playback time. The T2 are also IPX4 rated, so they should have no issues with a bit of sweat or a light rain shower. No pricing was announced for either model.

Airoha Technology today announced that its new series of Bluetooth audio chips have successfully completed the latest Bluetooth Low Energy Audio Qualification Process. This is one of the most important R&D achievements of its Bluetooth audio R&D team consisted of hundreds of engineers, who continues to revolutionize the wireless audio end device market. The "flagship" and "professional" series of chipsets support LE audio and Bluetooth 5.3 for multiple applications such as True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, Bluetooth smart speakers, assistive listening devices, and Bluetooth transmitters. The products are currently being tested by many brand customers and are expected to be available worldwide in the first half of 2023.

"The LE Audio specifications are the most important milestone reached in the Bluetooth audio industry in the past decade. With the support of our strong R&D team consisting of hundreds of engineers who have accumulated nearly a decade of technical expertise, Airoha became one of the world's first certified chip providers. This supports many customers to accelerate the launch of their end devices. The wireless audio innovation brought by the latest Bluetooth LE technology will expedite the process by which consumers and businesses enjoy the convenient and innovative services it brings, fully demonstrating the Airoha's vision and business philosophy." said Yuchuan Yang, Sr. Vice President of Airoha.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the trade association that oversees Bluetooth technology, today announced the completion of the full set of specifications that define LE Audio, the next generation of Bluetooth audio. LE Audio improves wireless audio performance, adds support for hearing aids, and introduces Auracast broadcast audio, a new Bluetooth capability that will enhance the way we engage with others and the world around us.

"Today is a proud day for the Bluetooth SIG member community," said Mark Powell, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG. "Our members overcame the many challenges placed on them these past few years to complete the largest specification development project in the history of the Bluetooth SIG. LE Audio extends the boundaries of what's possible for the wireless audio market, including the introduction of Auracast broadcast audio, a new Bluetooth capability that promises to deliver life-changing audio experiences to consumers, bringing friends and family closer together and making public locations more accessible and enjoyable for all. I can't wait to see the innovation LE Audio brings."