LG G8 ThinQ smartphone uses its OLED screen to create audio

LG G8 ThinQ smartphone uses its OLED screen to create audio

The smartphone world’s biggest annual launch event, Mobile World Congress (MWC), is just over a week away, and we’re expecting some big flagship announcements from the likes of Sony, Huawei and LG

We’ve known for some time that LG will be using MWC 2019 to introduce the G8 ThinQ handset – the successor to its G7 ThinQ – but the Korean company hasn’t been shy in talking about its features ahead of the launch.

Arguably the most interesting of which, revealed today, is its Crystal Sound OLED (CSO) technology, which sees the LG G8 ThinQ’s OLED display working as an audio amplifier. 

Essentially, it repurposes the screen as a diaphragm, vibrating the entire surface to produce sound - a sound supposedly capable of impressive volume and improved clarity. It's a method Sony uses in its AF9 and AF8 OLED TVs.

There’s also a speaker at the bottom of the phone that uses the internal space of the phone as a resonance chamber speaker in an effort to boost bass and volume.

Becky Roberts
Freelance contributor

Becky is a hi-fi, AV and technology journalist, formerly the Managing Editor at What Hi-Fi? and Editor of Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica magazines. With over twelve years of journalism experience in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices.

In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.