Once again, TVs are getting increasingly thinner – and the sound is forgotten about

As What Hi-Fi?'s resident deals writer, there's one phrase that comes up whenever I'm penning a TV deal.

"We recommend budgeting for a soundbar or surround system to go with this TV."

Now, of course, some built-in TV audio is better than others – Sony consistently offers some of the best-sounding TVs money can buy, and Panasonic's bolted-on soundbar approach is a tad inelegant but does result in step-up audio from the rest of the competition.

There have been other approaches too, with TCL collaborating with audio giants Bang & Olufsen for their 2025 range, which did result in a noticeable sound improvement.

But while TV companies have got a bit better at squeezing audio performance out of thinner displays, they're still no match for a half-decent soundbar.

It's no secret that audio has been pushed to the sidelines, partly to upsell accompanying soundbars – and in part for the never-ending pursuit of thinness.

And taking a quick look at CES 2026, it's clear this is a trend that's only set to continue.

One of the splashiest announcements from CES was the LG W6, which marked the much-publicised return of the company's legendary Wallpaper OLED TV series.

While the W6 is not quite as thin as the original Wallpaper models, the big selling point of the W6 is no doubt its diminutive depth, coming in at an astonishing 9mm thick.

It's helped no doubt by LG's wireless TV technology borrowed from the LG M5, which houses all the physical connections in a separate Zero Connect box and broadcasts the signals wirelessly to the display.

The W6 is admittedly spectacular, especially when pushed flush against a wall in all its wireless glory.

But it's difficult to see many scenarios where someone would truly benefit from a TV this thin, especially since it only comes in 77-inch and 83-inch models, making it practical only for a rather limited audience.

A TV that delivers truly phenomenal sound would surely have much bigger appeal – but when it came to big built-in TV audio innovations, it was crickets at CES.

As someone who can just about remember growing up with CRT TVs and chunky early flatscreens, I'm not advocating we take things to that extreme. Nor am I expecting built-in audio to reach the highs of the very best soundbars.

But imagine a TV we could wholeheartedly recommend – one that doesn’t require an external sound system, even if it means a bit more depth at the back. Surely there’s a Goldilocks scenario here.

TV manufacturers seem determined to chase the headline-grabbing, status-affirming title of having the thinnest TV of the year.

But in an age where new TVs are plenty thin enough, perhaps the most truly groundbreaking, news-worthy move would be TV audio that doesn't sound thin.

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