Xiaomi has officially launched its Buds 5 Pro earbuds in Europe, marking a significant milestone as the first audio device to utilize Qualcomm's Wi-Fi audio technology. This innovation enables the earbuds to stream audio over Wi-Fi, in addition to Bluetooth, without increasing power consumption.

The Buds 5 Pro were initially announced in China alongside the 15 Ultra phone, which is also launching in Europe. The earbuds come in two versions: a regular Bluetooth model and a Wi-Fi version that leverages Qualcomm's Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology. The Wi-Fi model is capable of delivering 96kHz/24bit lossless audio at a bandwidth of up to 4.2Mbps, surpassing the quality achievable over Bluetooth.

One of the key benefits of the Wi-Fi model is the ability to maintain a stable connection even when the user walks away from their phone, as long as they remain within the range of their Wi-Fi network. However, this feature is limited to situations where Wi-Fi is available, and the earbuds will default to Bluetooth when Wi-Fi is not present.

It's worth noting that the Wi-Fi model requires a phone with a compatible Qualcomm flagship chipset, such as the 8 Gen 3 or 8 Elite, to function. This means that iPhone and other Apple devices are not compatible with the Wi-Fi earbuds. Additionally, it's unclear whether the earbuds can handle connections to multiple Wi-Fi networks, which could impact their usability in different environments.

Despite these limitations, the Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi model boasts an impressive 10-hour battery life, with up to 40 hours of additional battery life provided by the charging case. This surpasses the 8-hour battery life of the Bluetooth model, supporting Qualcomm's claim that its Wi-Fi audio technology can deliver lossless audio without increasing power consumption.

The earbuds feature a triple-driver system, consisting of an 11mm main driver, a PZT tweeter, and a planar driver. They also support active noise cancellation and come equipped with an array of AI features, including call recording, transcription, and translation.

The Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi are available for £189.99 (around $240) and come in black, while the Bluetooth-only version is priced at £159.99 (around $200) and is available in white or gray.

The launch of the Buds 5 Pro marks a significant step forward in audio technology, and it will be interesting to see how this innovation is adopted by other manufacturers and consumers in the future.