New display will vie with LG, Samsung, and others for dominance
While Samsung Electronics currently dominates the thriving smartphone commodity display market, a number of Asian rivals are aiming to unseat the South Korean giant. Among them is Japan's Sharp Corp.
Sharp announced this week that it would be mass-producing a monstrous 443 ppi (pixels-per-inch) 1920x1080 pixel smartphone screen. The 5-inch screen could appear in devices as early as the holiday season, but will likely show up in greater quantities next year. The new display features a brand new pixel technology dubbed CG-Silicon. Sharp's display likely makes use of the company's new "Igzo" power efficient thin-display tech, as well.
The release marks the latest round in a game of brinksmanship by Japan and South Korea's top display makers. Early this year South Korea's LG Electronics announced production of a similar 5-inch 440 ppi unit, which will likely launch in a similar window. LG calls its display technology "Retina" displays.
Sharp is reportedly looking to displace LG in Apple's coveted iPhone, using a slightly smaller display unit. The company announced in August that it would be shipping displays for the iPhone 5 en masse. LG announced similar shipments, indicating that Apple would split its demand between the two manufacturers.
A third player is Japan's Toshiba Corp., which recently demoed a 498 ppi 6-inch display. Toshiba's display could be the most impressive of the bunch -- unfortunately it's not yet quite ready for the market.
