OnQ Blog
aptX Bluetooth Technology
Qualcomm aptX is a product of Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.
Qualcomm® aptX™ audio is designed to improve Bluetooth sound quality.
Qualcomm® aptX™ audio technology is designed to enhance the wireless sound quality of many of the world’s finest smartphones, speakers, headphones and tablets. Previously, these devices often had a reputation for providing average quality sound via Bluetooth, but aptX helps Bluetooth-enabled products overcome that barrier as it is designed to consistently deliver higher quality audio wirelessly.
aptX is a key product differentiator in over 540 leading audio brands for headphones, headsets, automotive audio, speakers, mobile devices and gaming products—where the ability to have a true audiophile experience is paramount.
aptX by the numbers.
It’s estimated that more than 4 billion* smartphones, tablets, PCs and TVs are supported by aptX. The aptX audio codec also supports enhanced audio quality in approximately 150 million Bluetooth headsets, speakers and soundbars**. It is a strong, recognized brand in the consumer electronics marketplace, supporting virtually all major platforms including Android, Windows 10 and Mac OS.
How does aptX work?
In order to fit within the Bluetooth ‘pipe’ and transmit wirelessly, audio needs to use bit-rate reduction (BRR). aptX is designed to replicate the entire frequency of the audio, reproducing pure sound and helping users to hear everything as the artist intended.
Improve the wireless listening experience.
aptX is available as part of our comprehensively-featured Bluetooth audio system-on-chip (SoC) platforms, which supports ease of integration and can help to save unnecessary development time.
The aptX product suite includes:
aptX
The ‘original’ aptX audio technology supports CD quality audio over Bluetooth.
Key features include:
- Compression ratio: 4:1
- Audio format: 16-bit, 44.1kHz
- Data rates: 352 kbps
aptX Low Latency
aptX Low Latency technology helps consumers to watch video while listening to wireless audio in a synchronized fashion. A delay of less that 40ms can be achieved because aptX is a sample-based codec, and low latency can be achieved through efficient population of packets while maintaining transmission robustness.
Key features include:
- Compression ratio 4:1
- Audio format: 16-bit 44.1kHz
- Data Rates: 352kbps
aptX HD
aptX HD is an enhanced codec that supports 24-bit music quality over Bluetooth. aptX HD is a further development of the existing classic 16-bit aptX codec—operating on the same principle and retaining the key properties of aptX that have made the codec so widely adopted. As well as accepting a 24-bit audio input, 24-bit audio resolution is designed to be maintained by using an extra two bits in each of the four sub-bands of processing. This results in lower signal-to-noise ratio through the encode/decode cycle and less distortion, making aptX HD ideal for use as part of a high-resolution audio solution.
Key features include:
- Compression ratio 4:1
- Audio format: 24-bit 48 kHz
- Data rates: 576kbps
aptX Adaptive
aptX Adaptive is a groundbreaking new audio coding technology which combines robust premium audio quality, low-bit rate audio transmission, scalability and the opportunity for low-latency designed to create the ultimate superior wireless listening experience for end users. What this means in practice is that the codec is designed to automatically adjust to provide optimum audio quality or latency depending on what content is being played on the device while also taking into account the external RF environment to help robustness. It is engineered to just work, with no synchronization issues for gaming and A/V and multimedia applications.
Key features:
- Compression ratio 5:1 – 10:1
- Audio format: 24-bit 48 kHz
- Data rates: 276kbps & 420kbps
* Based on the assumption that aptX is in 100% of Android smartphones sold between 2015 and 2017. Smartphone sales figures obtained from https://www.gartner.com
** Estimated figure to 30 September 2018, as at August 2018.