4K screens aren’t just for next-gen TV sets. Sharp wants to bring 4K technology to smartphones, announcing its 5.5-inch IGZO panel with 2160 x 3840 resolution at a whopping 806 pixels per inch.
By comparison, the iPhone 6 offers a screen with 326 pixels per inch (ppi).
Why does this boost in ppi matter? As Mashable explains: “…it allows the phone to reproduce, pixel for pixel, a 4K image without any resampling. That should result in both pristine, ultra-sharp imagery and encourage developers to build the experiences around 4K resolution.”
4K, for those unaware, is is 4096 x 2160 resolution, and thus gives 4K four times as high a resolution as 1080p, which is what we normally mean today when we describe a screen as “Full HD,” as CNET notes.
But don’t get excited by 4K smartphones yet; Sharp said the units will be in production in 2016, and available first for Chinese buyers, so it’s a believe-it-when-you-see-it-approach.
Some analysts aren’t too excited by the news. As ZDNET’s Kevin Tofel writes:
But 806 pixels per inch on a pocketable device that you hold about a foot from your eyes? It sounds like unnecessary overkill to me. That aside, the benefits of such a highly detailed display can be outweighed by the battery life and GPU requirements needed to power it.
Image courtesy Sharp
