Are you tired of your Bluetooth earbuds frequently disconnecting? Despite being a no-nonsense connectivity method, it has been plagued by issues such as high latency while gaming and connection problems. Xiaomi wants to solve this problem with its new flagship earbuds – the Buds 5 Pro unveiled at the ongoing MWC 2025. These are the world’s 1st earphones with Wi-Fi audio support delivering better bandwidth and lossless playback. Here is everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro.
What Is Wi-Fi Audio And Why Should I Use It Over Bluetooth?
Xiaomi showcased the Buds 5 Pro at MWC 2025. They are the first earbuds capable of transmitting audio over Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth. Buds 5 Pro uses the Qualcomm S7 Pro chip that the company announced in October 2023. You can buy them in two variants: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with the former retailing for $199 and the latter available for $219.
It can stream 96kHz/24-bit lossless audio at a bandwidth of up to 4.2Mbps, which is better than any Bluetooth audio. Another advantage is the increased range as you can listen to your earbuds as long as they are connected to your Wi-Fi network. This can be handy if your house has multiple floors so your music session doesn’t get interrupted even if you forget your phone on another floor.
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Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Specifications
The Buds 5 Pro uses Qualcomm Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) to switch between Wi-Fi and audio easily. Currently only available on the Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Qualcomm says XPAN will roll out to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 8 Elite-powered phones soon.
There are potential downsides too with the major one being that you need to stay connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Another con is that it only works with select Snapdragon devices and that too the ones using the latest flagship chipset. So forget about pairing it with your iPhone or other Apple devices using Wi-Fi – for now.
The earbuds fall back to Bluetooth when Wi-Fi is unavailable. There is no clarity on whether it can work with multiple Wi-Fi networks. It uses the phone’s credentials to connect to the network and there could be potential for Wi-Fi interference.
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Despite these potential caveats, it’s an impressive piece of tech nonetheless as you get 11mm triple drivers with PZT tweeters and planar drivers. Furthermore, there’s 55dB noise cancellation with plenty of AI features including call recording, translation, and transcription.
Qualcomm says the Bluetooth model can last eight hours while the Wi-Fi variant can last ten hours (two hours longer than the Bluetooth one). The company claims it can deliver lossless audio while consuming less power. It can last up to 40 hours with the case and supports Hi-Res Audio. You can buy it in two colors: Titanium Gold and Snow White Mountain.
