 "5-inch screen smartphones to rule the roost in 2013")
Last year, the world was talking about dual-core handsets being the norm. This year the standard for high- end smartphones appears to be quad-core processors. As per a report by CNET, 2013 will not only be about improvements in processors; handsets will be a lot larger and the future crop of high-end models will feature 5-inch displays.
When Samsung first introduced the Galaxy Note last year, many were astounded by its instantaneous success. This led many competitors to launch similar-sized handsets of their own. More so, Samsung has recently launched a successor to the Note by way of the Galaxy Note II, a handset measuring larger than its predecessor.
The future of smartphones
Christopher MacManus of CNET states, “If one thing seems certain, next year should play out as the year when most high-end smartphones feature a 5-inch screen. Japan Display revealed yesterday that the mega joint venture – consisting of Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi’s manufacturing prowess – started mass production of a 5-inch 1,080-pixel LCD screen bound for future smartphones. As for specifics, the upcoming IPS LCD display by JDI contains a 1,080x1,920-pixel resolution and an incredibly sharp 443ppi view. That level of pixels per inch simply blows away anything on the market at this time, including the iPhone 5’s 326ppi display and the Samsung Galaxy S3’s 306ppi resolution.”
According to a recent announcement by Japan Display, it will start mass-production shipment of 5.0-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) TFT-LCD modules for smartphone applications this October. JDI is developing LCD modules to meet these growing requirements, based on its advanced core technologies such as low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) for high resolution, in-plane switching (IPS) for wide viewing angle performance, and thinner backlight design for compact size.
It has listed some of the major characteristics of these latest modules:
- High resolution to display a large amount of information - The 5.0-inch full-HD, 443 ppi module is able to display approximately 2.3 times more information as compared to 720HD (720 x 1280 pixels). This is by far way more than that found on the iPhone 5 (326ppi) or even the Samsung Galaxy S III (306 ppi).
- Wide viewing angle and high contrast for fine and beautiful pictures - IPS technology enables wide viewing angle performance and high contrast, with minimal colour shift-and along with the module’s high luminance (500cd/m2)-contributes to finer and better looking pictures.
- Large display area, slim, and compact-size LCD module - The thinner LCD module (1.4mm), combined with its narrow frame (1.2mm), allows for compact smartphone design.
Japan Display ends the announcement by stating, “This new product is well-suited for high-end mobile smartphones designed to display a large amount of information. With this new product introduction JDI continues to demonstrate its leadership in the global small-size, full-HD resolution LCD module market.”
There have also been rumours that the Samsung Galaxy S IV will feature a 5-inch display, this feature is certainly something which we will witness more of once 2013 gets underway.
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