The LG G8 ThinQ’s OLED screen will double as an audio amplifier

The G8 ThinQ will have an OLED screen that will double as an audio amplifier, LG has confirmed ahead of the phone’s scheduled MWC 2019 launch. LG flagship phones are known for their high-end audio enhancements like quad DAC and BoomBox, and this year, LG is adding one more feature to that list. 

The upcoming G8 will use Crystal Sound OLED, a technology that LG also uses in some of its high-end TVs. Basically, the whole display wil be able to vibrate to act as a speaker, and even though the G8 will come with a mono speaker out, it will be able to channel stereo output thanks to LG’s OLED tech. LG is also promising improved clarity.  

LG’s BoomBox already amps audio coming from the G7 and V40 by turning these phones into resonance chambers. Its crazy OLED tech will likely add to it some more, possibly entailing in louder sound. Not to mention, LG’s signature quad DAC will be sticking around as well, meaning yay points for the good old headphone jack.  

“At MWC 2019, LG Electronics (LG) will remind audiences of its reputation and history as a leader in smartphone sound with the new LG G8 ThinQ  featuring Crystal Sound OLED (CSO), an innovative technology that utilizes the phone’s OLED display as an audio amplifier,” LG said in a press statement seemingly suggesting, audio will be one of the key highlights of the G8 and a key differentiator. 

The G8 will need more than just good audio to stand apart though. Especially since it’s going to look exactly like the G7 before it, according to a render shared by serial tipster Evan Blass. One of its other key stand-outs will be its dedicated 3D Time-of-Flight front camera for applications like secure face unlock, accurate depth mapping and AR using Infineon’s REAL3 chip.    

Use cases also include, “more accurate background blur in selfie portraits, as well as potentially having various AR applications.” LG isn’t going into the technical details and how it is going to use ToF in the G8, but it is promising to deliver “a new level of front camera capability in a smartphone.”   

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