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The Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro are the world's first Wi-Fi earbuds
Published onMarch 6, 2025
- At MWC 2025, Xiaomi has unveiled a new Wi-Fi connected variant of the Buds 5 Pro.
- At launch, the earbuds only support Wi-Fi connectivity with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, with more supported devices to come via future OTA updates.
- The earbuds use Qualcomm XPAN technology to provide a stable connection.
Every since Qualcomm unveiled XPAN technology back in 2023, we’ve been patiently waiting for earbuds to arrive that support lossless playback over Wi-Fi. Finally, that day has come, as we got to try out the new Wi-Fi enabled Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro at MWC 2025.
Up until now, wireless earbuds have relied on Bluetooth technology to connect to your smartphone or other devices, which can have a limited range. Using this new XPAN (Expanded Personal Area Network) technology, the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro seamlessly switches your audio stream between Bluetooth and your home Wi-Fi network when necessary. This means you can leave your phone anywhere in your home, and continue listening to music on your earbuds, without worrying about connection dropouts.
In addition to an increase in streaming range, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound platform provides an increase to audio quality, with true lossless listening. As of today, you will need a Xiaomi 15 Ultra phone in order to use Wi-Fi playback with the Buds 5 Pro, but Xiaomi says they will be adding more supported devices in the future. By default, Wi-Fi transmission to the earbuds is disabled, so make sure to activate it within the phone’s Bluetooth settings menu.