LG Display announced today that it will commercialize thin vibrating speakers for cars in the first half of 2023. The Thin Actuator sound solution is passport-sized and lacks many of the bulkier parts of typical car speakers.
LG Display is known for developing screen panel technologies and providing them to various companies, including the LG consumer brand. The new speaker does not use a cone, magnet or voice coil, and does not require a speaker grille. Instead, the speaker uses what the company called “film-type excitation technology”that vibrates off display panels “and various materials inside the car body”to create “3D”sound that LG Display claims is as good as traditional. car speakers produce.
LG has even worked with a “global audio company”to develop speakers, but we can’t tell you if that’s impressive or not because LG Display didn’t list the partner’s name.
The exciters are compact, providing the versatility of the Thin Actuator Sound Solution when it comes to accommodating and freeing up more space inside the vehicle. LG Display sees this offering being used in car dashboards, headrests, headlining and pillars, for example. The speaker measures 5.9 × 3.5 × 0.1 inches (150 × 90 × 2.5 mm) and weighs 1.4 ounces (40 g). In its announcement, LG Display claimed to be 10% thicker than a typical car speaker and 30% lighter in weight.
LG Display said it will showcase its speakers at CES in Las Vegas in January.
Vibrating panel speakers are far from mainstream, but we’ve seen them used before, mostly in TVs. Sony introduced Acoustic Surface OLED TVs in 2017 and the company has received positive reviews for recent versions like the A9G, especially when it comes to dialogue. In August, LG Display showed off a 97-inch OLED EX TV panel that claims to use a vibrating display panel to deliver 5.1-channel audio.
While LG Display car speakers should offer automakers more choice when it comes to speaker placement, sound quality is a big issue for all potential partners and drivers.