LG G8 ThinQ shaping up to be a smartphone for audiophiles

The Mobile World Congress 2019 is less than two weeks away but LG is making headlines with the new G8 ThinQ, touted as the smartphone for audiophiles.

LG is bringing its proprietary "Crystal Sound OLED" (CSO) technology to the G8 ThinQ. CSO technology repurposes the OLED screen as a diaphragm, vibrating the entire surface to produce sound with impressive volume. LG also claims that using the whole screen as a diaphragm improves audio clarity in voice calls, increases volume levels and makes subtle musical notes more noticeable.

CSO isn't the sole form of audio output from this LG smartphone. The South Korean giant has also confirmed other sound-related features in the G8 ThinQ, including a boombox speaker feature which utilises the internal space in the phone to resonate sounds. And, that’s not all, LG’s latest flagship will also feature DTS:X 3D Surround Sound for 7.1 channels with or without headphones, a Hi-Fi Quad DAC, and Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) support for first-rate audio streaming.

LG recently confirmed a tie up with microelectronics manufacturer Infineon; presumably to use the company’s time-of-flight technology in the front camera of the upcoming G8 ThinQ. This technology – found in Apple’s Face ID camera on the latest iPhones – will help improve facial recognition and selfies. LG will use the Infineon's REAL3 image sensor chip – essentially a time-to-flight camera – to benefit a range of apps. Time-to-flight cameras are usually used in 3D imaging, AR and VR experience, but it can also optimise for image capture.

The LG G8 ThinQ will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress. The company will likely reveal details about the specifications, price and release date of the phone and maybe we’ll get a slight peak of the V50 ThinQ as well. LG has already teased a touch-free future for their devices on their MWC 2019 invites.