WiiM Adds New Soundbar and Speaker: What's Different

WiiM, a maker of wireless audio devices, has released two new products. The first is called the WiiM Bar — a soundbar that costs $479 and includes a small touchscreen display on its front. The second is the WiiM Sound, a wireless speaker with 100 watts of power that has recently started shipping to customers.

For most people, these are straightforward additions to WiiM's lineup of audio products. But the touchscreen on the soundbar is worth understanding, because it signals how audio devices are starting to work differently.

Why a Soundbar Needs a Screen

The WiiM Bar has a 2.1-inch round display in the middle of its front panel. When you play music, it shows the album artwork. When you're watching a movie, it shows what's playing. Most other soundbars just have a few small indicator lights instead.

This might seem like a small thing, but it changes how you interact with the device. Instead of pulling out your phone to see what's playing or check the volume, you can glance at the soundbar itself. Think of it like the difference between a car's basic dashboard and one with a large touchscreen — both tell you what you need to know, but one gives you more information at a glance.

WiiM describes this approach on their blog as being "display-first" — meaning the screen is a main feature, not just a side addition.

How the Soundbar Is Built

The WiiM Bar uses eight different speaker drivers. These are the small speaker cones that create sound. Four of them point upward to create the illusion of sound coming from above your head when you're watching a movie with Dolby Atmos audio — a surround-sound format that adds height to the sound field. The other drivers handle the left, center, and right channels across the front.

This setup is designed to give you surround sound without needing to install speakers in your ceiling. If you want more sound, you can add extra wireless speakers or a separate bass speaker to the system later.

The WiiM Bar became available for purchase in July.

The WiiM Sound Speaker

Alongside the soundbar, WiiM is selling the WiiM Sound, a single wireless speaker rated at 100 watts of power. This is a standalone device meant for playing music in one room — not a home theater setup.

At 100 watts, it sits roughly in the middle-to-upper range of what consumer wireless speakers offer. For context, it's built to fill a larger room with sound at higher volume levels than WiiM's smaller speakers. The company hasn't released detailed specs about which frequencies it plays best, but the 100-watt rating tells you it's aimed at serious music listeners rather than casual background music.

What These Products Mean

Both devices work with WiiM's app on your phone, and they can be part of a whole-home audio system if you want to add more speakers to other rooms. The soundbar's screen lets you control music or movies by touching it, without needing to grab your phone every time.

The fact that WiiM is putting screens on soundbars and pushing higher power on their speakers shows how the company is competing. Instead of trying to undercut bigger names on price alone, they're adding features like the display and power output to stand out.

We have seen this pattern before in other areas of technology. When smart home speakers first appeared, they were voice-only. Then companies started adding screens so you could see what the device heard or confirm that your command worked. Audio devices are going through the same shift now — moving beyond "just sound" to "sound plus information you can see."

Larger, more established audio companies have been slower to add screens to soundbars. They tend to stick with simple lights or tiny LED displays. WiiM's decision to make the screen a real feature suggests they believe people actually want to see what's happening with their audio device.

At $479, the WiiM Bar is in the middle of the soundbar market. You'll find cheaper models and more expensive ones. The price reflects what you're getting: Dolby Atmos sound processing plus that touchscreen display, both of which usually cost extra.

The success of these new products will come down to two things: whether the screen actually works well when you use it, and whether the sound quality matches what you'd expect from the price. WiiM has a decent track record with wireless audio, so execution could be solid — but the soundbar market is crowded, and people expect both excellent sound and easy-to-use controls.

Both products show WiiM moving beyond small, portable speakers toward a full range of audio devices. They're now competing directly with established brands across multiple categories: standalone speakers, soundbars, and whole-home audio systems.