I Tested the World’s Smallest and Lightest Micro-Speaker

Earlier this year, we covered the caller xMEMS talker exertion and confidently called it the earbud tech of the future. That was the motorboat of xMEMS’ archetypal speaker, Cowell, which debuted wrong the awesome Creative Aurvana Ace 2 Earbuds. Today, the institution added Sycamore to its line, which xMEMs calls the smallest and lightest micro-speaker.

As a speedy refresher, MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) is simply a caller innovation successful audio exertion that aims to regenerate the accepted coil speakers that person been successful our earbuds, headphones, and proceeding immunodeficiency for years. MEMS speakers are produced from a azygous silicon slab alternatively of the modular coil and magnet setup connected a accepted speaker, which offers respective advantages. These see a much elaborate dependable profile, deeper low-end, and accrued robustness. Did you cognize the IP58 h2o absorption connected a MEMS talker tin marque it past an full washing and drying rhythm successful a washing machine?

Sycamore’s biggest selling constituent is its compact signifier factor, resulting successful a feather-light value and an incredibly tiny size. xMEMS calls this the “world’s archetypal 1-mm bladed near-field full-range MEMS Micro Speaker.” I’m alert that that’s a mouthful. In simpler words, this is the world’s smallest talker designed to beryllium adjacent to the user’s ear. So, imaginable uses of this talker see AR glasses, VR headsets, smartphones, car headrests, oregon smartwatches.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

VP of Marketing and Business Development astatine xMEMS, Mike Housholder, explained that the existing smartwatches and AR glasses connected the marketplace are considerably heftier than they request to beryllium due to the fact that of the bulky speakers embedded wrong them. Well, that’s 1 of the reasons. Switching to a importantly lighter talker volition hopefully shed immoderate value disconnected these gadgets. I was told successful the briefing that a thicker and larger talker besides needs proportionally sized abstraction down it to determination freely. Replacing that with a thinner spot volition escaped up a batch of that space, besides known arsenic “back measurement area.”

According to the company, Sycamore is one-seventh the size and one-third the thickness of accepted speakers—a accepted dynamic operator is 3mm thick. Sycamore measures 8.41 x 9 x 1.13 and weighs lone 150 milligrams. It takes up 70% little measurement and weighs 70% little than a accepted driver. Another ambitious assertion is that the talker does each that (takes up acold little space) portion performing amended than modular dynamic drivers successful presumption of sound. The assertion includes “better show astatine some the debased and precocious ends” and “powerful, full-range audio.”

Housholder explains immoderate of the imaginable benefits of the speaker. “In smartphones, Sycamore offers a higher prime earpiece talker for clearer calls. In cars, Sycamore’s size, weight, and show makes it a micro-sized tweeter for headrests, and […] not lone does Sycamore’s audio show present a afloat dependable acquisition for astute watches and glasses, but its size allows designers to make sleeker, fashion-forward products that consumers volition love.”

The benefits of a compact talker are not constricted to size and weight. By reducing the abstraction and value of a component, you’re allowing for a slimmer, better-looking physique and much abstraction for different components, perchance making the instrumentality much advanced. Like the Cowell, Sycamore is besides rated IP58 for h2o resistance, which means it’s a bully prime for folks with progressive lifestyles.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

Since the Sycamore volition not beryllium successful immoderate commercialized devices until astatine slightest 2026, the folks astatine xMEMS acceptable up an absorbing small strategy to demo it. The talker was embedded wrong a transparent solid lodging and past connected to a brace of circuit boards and an iPad playing the content. I listened to a fewer demo songs and past switched to 1 of my favourite songs that I’ve listened to connected speakers ranging from $50 to $40,000, truthful I’m assured astir each of its nuances and subtleties.

The features that popped retired the astir to maine were its power, warmth, and clarity. I was impressed with however large and almighty the dependable was. I surely didn’t expect this feather-light, tiny entity to beryllium susceptible of producing volumes arsenic precocious arsenic it did. Integrated into a smartwatch, for instance, the talker would beryllium cleanable for easy filling up a country with sound.

My biggest contented with the accepted speakers connected smartphones is however tinny they sound. The audio is often painfully devoid of warmth and psyche and comes disconnected overly harsh and sharp. I was pleasantly amazed to spot a tinge of that warmth connected this speaker. The dependable borrowed overmuch of its property and psyche from a noticeably punchy low-end. It was crisp and wide capable for maine to marque retired the intricacies of a song. The bass ne'er sounded muddy, and the treble didn’t overstep into sounding shrill astatine immoderate point. Every opus maintained its crispness and spot careless of the measurement astatine which it was played.

Sycamore volition statesman investigating successful the archetypal 4th of 2025, with wide accumulation astir apt starting successful October 2025. I’m alert it volition instrumentality clip for OEMs to set to brand-new tech and portion their existing offerings of their existent components, but I’m genuinely hoping they’re capable to bash that soon.