At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Xiaomi launched its premium earbuds — the Buds 5 Pro. They are the first earbuds in the world to use Qualcomm’s S7 Pro chip, which allows audio streaming over Wi-Fi alongside Bluetooth, all with no increase in power consumption.
The S7 Pro chip was announced in November 2023 at the Snapdragon Summit, and this marks a milestone as Xiaomi is the first company to implement the technology. The S7 Pro combines high performance, low-power compute, on-device artificial intelligence, and advanced connectivity.
The Buds 5 Pro come in two versions: a regular Bluetooth model and a Wi-Fi version that uses Qualcomm’s Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology, delivering 96kHz/24-bit lossless audio at high-bitrate transmissions of up to 4.2Mbps — far superior to anything you’ll get over Bluetooth. On the Bluetooth version of the Buds 5 Pro, bitrates max out at 2.1Mbps, delivering 48kHz/24-bit lossless audio using the Snapdragon S7+ chip.
However, the Buds 5 Pro can only achieve these values when connected to the new Xiaomi 15 Ultra. It’s likely this privilege will eventually trickle down to more Snapdragon-powered devices later on, as it’s just a matter of chipset compatibility. Unfortunately, iPhones will not be able to connect to the buds via Wi-Fi.
Using Wi-Fi with earbuds comes with benefits that can’t be matched by Bluetooth. Wi-Fi allows full use of Qualcomm’s XPAN technology, extending the range of the earbuds far beyond what Bluetooth can achieve — as long as the devices are connected to both networks — while maintaining ultra-low power performance. All this happens while the Wi-Fi variant of the Buds 5 Pro still delivers high-bandwidth audio, low latency, and immersive audio with head tracking.
The Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro features three microphones, boasting 55dB of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), with improved wind noise reduction and better noise cancellation than the Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro, according to the company. Battery life is also promising — you get 8 hours of continuous listening over Bluetooth, which extends to 10 hours over Wi-Fi. Combined with the charging case, you get a total of 40 hours. The case supports both wired and wireless charging.
The Buds 5 Pro are IP54 rated for dust and water resistance, support audio sharing, and feature touch controls on the stems to manage actions like volume control, pausing, and more. They come in three colours: Black (Wi-Fi), White, and Titanium — the latter two being the Bluetooth variants.
Currently, they are only available through Xiaomi in China, with pricing as follows:
- Bluetooth Buds 5 Pro – CNY 1,300 / $180
- Wi-Fi Buds 5 Pro – CNY 1,500 / $205
I believe the introduction of Wi-Fi-enabled audio sharing represents the future of audio, and we should expect more — if not better — innovations in the audio space. Xiaomi has laid the groundwork for other brands like Samsung, Apple, Sony, Sennheiser, and others to follow suit.
Tell us — what do you think about the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro? Would you consider buying them?
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