LG Quad HD: Highest Resolution Smartphone Panel?

Just a month after claiming the title of world’s thinnest full HD display panel that would allow the manufacturing of extra slim smartphones, South Korea’s LG is eyeing another record: the highest resolution smartphone panel ever made.

The LG Display division last week unveiled the Quad HD, which they claim is both the highest resolution mobile display up to date and the slimmest available.

The new panel is named Quad HD because it has four times more pixels than traditional 1280x720p displays. The 5.5 inch panel sports a 2560×1440 video resolution at 538 ppi (pixels per inch). It is impressively slim, being 1.21 mm thick and 1.22 at the bezel.

The display is not as bright as the panel LG unveiled last month, but it can nonetheless render Blu-ray like video with sharper contrast and clearer images than other panels, according to manufacturers.  However, it does not pack more pixels than the 4K Ultra HD.

LG Display said the new screen would provide more lifelike images and would also allow users to view web pages in full, without image distortion, just as they would when viewing them on a PC. Users would also be able to enlarge the screen without losing anything in terms of sharpness and clarity of image.

The technology is amazing, but one question on everybody’s mind will be the power consumption that this highest resolution smartphone panel will entail. LG says it has taken steps to reduce consumption, but has not yet specified how. And tech experts quoted by the BBC say the high resolution display will take a bigger toll on the phone battery, because it will be more demanding for the graphics processor.

Other analysts believe panel resolution is already becoming less of a distinguishing factor on the smartphone market, as users are looking more at other features when deciding what to purchase.

Nevertheless, the Quad HD is an impressive piece of technology and showcases LG efforts to remain an innovator in the field. LG Display is currently the fourth largest manufacturer of phone and tablet screens, after Samsung, Japan Display and Sharp.

The South Korean firm did not specify when their highest resolution smartphone panel may hit the market and what phone makers may be interested in purchasing it. But given its features, it will probably come with a hefty price tag and will target the premium market. What do you think?

[Image via Androidguys]