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When you're driving on the road and the dim brightness of your factory halogen low beam may makes you worried about driving safety, choosing aftermarket LED lights to improve your vehicle's illumination might be an affordable option. At this point, simply tell the dealer your vehicle's model, or use the Lasfit MMY search bar to easily find the model of the aftermarket LED light you want to replace. You'll notice, especially on the product pages for low beam and high beam lights, there will mark "Single Beam" or "Dual Beam" under the product specific. But what is a Single Beam and what is a Dual Beam? What are their typical bulb size? And what are the differences between them? Lasfit will uncover the mystery of Single Beam and Dual Beam, helping you understand a little bit more about vehicle lights.
Single beam
A single beam bulb means each bulb has only one function, either low beam or high beam, but not both. Therefore, the usual vehicle's headlight system needs to be equipped with two separate bulbs, one specifically for low beam and the other for high beam. Halogen single beam bulbs have only one filament inside. That's why they are sometimes referred to as single filament bulbs.
Typical single beam bulb size include: H11, 9005, 9006, H7.
You can easily identify a single beam bulb by the single filament inside the halogen bulb.
Dual beam
A dual beam bulb means one bulb can provide both low beam and high beam functions. This is usually achieved through dual filament bulbs. In such systems, one bulb contains two filaments inside, one for low beam and the other for high beam. Halogen dual beam bulbs usually have two filaments inside, allowing them to produce two different lights within one bulb by controlling the current. That's why they are sometimes referred to as dual filament bulbs.
Typical dual beam bulb size include: H13, H4, 9007.
You can easily identify a dual beam headlight by the two filaments inside the halogen bulb.
In short, the simplest way to distinguish between single beam and dual beam halogen bulbs is to observe the number of filaments inside the bulb. If the bulb has only one filament, it is a single filament bulb that only has one function. If the bulb has two filaments, it is a dual filament bulb that has two function.
But wait... LED bulbs don't have filaments, so how can you tell them apart?
It's simple! You can clearly differentiate between single beam and dual beam by observing the position of the LED chips on one side of the bulb. The design of LED bulbs needs to be similar to that of halogen bulbs to achieve better light patterns.
Single Beam: The width of the LED chips on one side is the same.
Dual Beam: The width of the LED chips on one side is different; some dual beam bulbs also have a protruding light shield.
Can I replace my current lights with dual beam or single beam?
After understanding the differences between single beam and dual beam, you might wonder if you can replace your current dual beam with a single beam, or vice versa. Unfortunately, you cannot use a dual beam in a single beam headlight system or use a single beam in a dual beam headlight system. The main reason is that they are not compatible for installation.
First, the bases of different bulbs vary, so you cannot ignore the base compatibility and insert a dual beam bulb into a single beam headlight base.
Second, the number of pins on the power plug differs, making it impossible to connect the power. Dual beam bulbs usually have three pins: one for the ground, and the other two for low beam and high beam, allowing them to achieve two functions within one bulb. Single beam bulbs usually have only two pins: one for the ground and one for the single function.
From the above image of the LSplus H11, H13, H4 LED bulbs, you can clearly see that the number of pins in the plug differs between single beam and dual beam bulbs.
In summary, the difference between single beam and dual beam halogen bulbs is the number of filaments inside the bulb: the former has one, while the latter has two.
The difference in appearance for LEDs is whether the width of the LED chips on one side is the same.
Finally, single beam bulbs cannot fit dual beam headlight systems, and dual beam bulbs cannot fit single beam headlight systems.
Hey, why does my Kia Soul headlight assembly have only one bulb, and the bulb model is 9005? Isn't 9005 a single beam? Don't worry, Lasfit will explain the differences between projector assemblies and reflector assemblies in a follow-up, even if your assembly has only a single beam, it can switch between low and high beams with the help of the projector. Stay tuned!
