Does sound sell? Dolby’s Javier Foncillas on taking audio from phones and cars to smart glasses

Dolby’s pitch is spreading to a new kind of device. Announced at Meta Connect, Meta AI glasses are billed as the first global consumer device that can capture audio in Dolby Atmos. Users can record a moment and share it on Instagram, which the companies say helps people relive it and “feel closer” to what made it special. The news builds on the arrival of Dolby Vision on Instagram last year.

It is a telling move. Dolby has spent years on playback, in TVs, phones and cars. Glasses push it to the point of capture, where the content is made. Javier Foncillas, Vice President, Global Commercial Partnerships at Dolby, laid out the logic when he spoke to ET, though he did not comment on the Meta launch itself.

“We don’t just deliver technologies,” Foncillas says. “By partnering with top content, service and device brands, we’ve helped create a powerful ecosystem.” That ecosystem runs from Hollywood studios and Netflix to JioHotstar, SonyLIV and Zee5, and from TVs, phones and PCs to cars. “Our role is to help connect these different pieces and reduce friction across the value chain,” he says, “so consumers can experience Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos effortlessly, on the devices they already love.”


The creator push is part of that plan. Dolby started with phones such as the iPhone, OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi, then moved into creator devices like Insta360. The aim, Foncillas says, is that “any moment can be captured and shared with stunning picture quality.” India matters here too. “In India, where mobile and social media usage is so strong, we see significant potential in enabling more creators to capture and share content in Dolby,” he says.

The harder question for device makers is whether sound actually changes what people buy. Dolby-backed research says it does. A 2022 CyberMedia Research study found audio quality was the top driver of Indian smartphone purchases, scoring 71 out of 100, ahead of battery at 67 and camera at 62. An earlier edition found 86 per cent of respondents said Dolby Atmos would be a key factor in choosing an OTT subscription.

There is a wrinkle in that data. A Parks Associates study commissioned by Dolby found most smartphone owners weigh sound only to some degree when buying, yet nearly all called it important after hearing an enhanced-audio demo. Buyers value audio once they have heard the difference. That explains why Foncillas keeps returning to retail. “We work collaboratively with our partners on activations and retail experiences, giving consumers an opportunity to understand and experience the difference Dolby makes,” he says. “When technology integration, content availability and consumer education come together, it helps turn awareness into adoption.”

Dolby is taking the same logic into the car. Foncillas says the industry is shifting “towards the car becoming another living space,” and that Indian carmakers have moved quickly on new in-car experiences. Dolby already works with Mahindra, Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki, with many nameplates on the road. On what comes next, he offers little. “We have nothing specific to announce at this moment,” he says, adding that “there is more to come from Dolby and our partners.”

The caveats are worth stating. Capturing Atmos is only half the story, because most people will hear a shared clip through phone speakers or earbuds, and whether that carries the Atmos difference is untested. The key surveys were done with or for Dolby, the India data dates from 2021 and 2022, and the Parks research covered the US, China, France, Germany and South Korea, not India. Buyers still decide on price and brand first. Whether and when the Meta glasses feature reaches Indian buyers is a question for Dolby and Meta, and so is whether better sound earns a premium in a smart glasses purchase.