Piezoelectrics enable displays to provide both audio and touch feedback
Piezoelectric “speaker screens” that vibrate the display to produce both sound and haptic feedback are being revisited for phones, TVs and other devices, promising thinner hardware, front‑firing audio and more precise, localized touch sensations. Commenters note that similar ideas have appeared before in products from Xiaomi, Sony and others with mixed real‑world results, citing issues like limited bass, distortion when the screen is touched, high driving voltages and poor repairability. Much of the debate centers on whether these trade‑offs are worth it compared with conventional speakers, especially given persistent user desires for durability, battery life, ports and headphone jacks over further reductions in device thickness.
Touch Interaction & User Experience
- Multiple commenters wonder what happens when you touch the vibrating screen while audio plays.
- Some expect only minor distortion, comparing a stiff glass panel to a thick metal string that is hard to detune.
- A demo video is cited where contact with the screen doesn’t noticeably degrade sound, though the vibration is clearly felt; whether this is annoying or beneficial is considered subjective.
- Gaming is flagged as a key scenario where simultaneous touch + audio matters most.
Prior Devices & Technical Challenges
- Several phones and TVs have already used screen- or frame-vibration for sound (e.g., early full-screen phones, certain Sony TVs, Sharp Aquos). Results were mixed: acceptable but often muffled or lower quality than traditional speakers.
- An engineer notes design pain points: you can’t rigidly laminate the device if the front surface must move relative to the back, and you need a large vibrating area with significant displacement for decent volume.
- Technical issues mentioned: high drive voltages (often >40–100 V), limited motion, nonlinearity at larger excursions, sensitivity to mounting/wear/dirt, and difficulty localizing haptics.
Audio, Microphone & Haptics Quality
- Some audio-focused commenters say piezo elements typically have poor, non-flat frequency response and are fine for beeps but not high-fidelity sound, while others point to musical-instrument pickups as evidence they can be usable but still inferior to good microphones.
- The screen-as-speaker could theoretically double as a microphone, but in practice that would require separate analog/digital capture circuitry not normally present.
- Localized haptics and “texture” on the screen are seen as a particularly promising angle, especially for accessibility and in-car controls.
Use Cases & Perceived Benefits
- Suggested applications: phones, laptops, cars, appliances, game UIs, and more immersive AV experiences where sound appears to emerge from on-screen objects.
- A Sony TV implementation that turns the panel into the speaker is praised as surprisingly good for built-in audio, but still not matching quality external speakers.
Device Thinness, Ergonomics & Ports
- The article’s thinness argument triggers a long tangent: many say they don’t want thinner phones and would rather keep or regain ports (headphone jack, SD, dual SIM, replaceable battery, more USB), plus robustness and repairability.
- Others argue thinner internals free volume for larger batteries, cameras, or simply smaller/lighter devices, especially once a protective case is added anyway.
Skepticism, Hype & Market Demand
- Some view this as solving a marginal “problem” (sound not coming exactly from the image) to justify higher prices, calling the piece an advertorial.
- Others find the engineering genuinely interesting but doubt mass adoption due to cost, complexity, and only incremental user benefit.