LG’s smartphone business might not be doing particularly well but the company keeps innovating with every new flagship that it releases. Today, the company has announced that its next flagship, the LG G8 ThinQ, will use its OLED display as an audio amplifier.

LG has developed a new technology called Crystal Sound OLED (CSO) which uses the OLED panel as a diaphragm. The entire display surface will vibrate to produce sound “with impressive volume.” LG says that the technology also improves audio clarity and makes it easier to distinguish between multiple voices and musical notes.

In addition to using the display as a speaker, LG will also include a bottom-firing speaker on the G8. This will ensure the device is able to offer proper stereo separation. Plus, as seen in some previous LG phones, the G8 will also use feature BoomBox which will use the phone’s free internal space as a resonance chamber for louder sound output and improved bass.

While we have seen smartphones ship with stereo speakers, the setup usually involves one bottom firing speaker and a speaker hidden inside the earpiece grille at the top. Apple debuted this same speaker setup since the iPhone 7 Plus and continues to follow it with the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Even Samsung does the same with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9. LG is bucking the trend here by using the OLED display itself as a speaker. It will be interesting to see how the company’s technology compares to existing solutions in the market.

Do you want an iPhone which uses its OLED display as a speaker?

[Via LG]

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