Sharp Mass Producing IGZO Panels for Smartphones
Sharp is commercializing its IGZO panel for smartphones.
We took a look at a smartphone with Sharp's IGZO display back in January during CES 2013. The company promises incredible battery life because of the way this tech works. Unlike typical screens that repeatedly flash frames every second they're on regardless if the user is interacting with the screen or just looking at a notification, IGZO displays a steady, static image when there's no interaction. Sharp also promises "sharper" icons, brighter images and so on with this new tech.
The company now says that it has commercialized production of IGZO LCD panels for smartphones, and will begin manufacturing these panels at its Kameyama Plant No. 2 within this year. Sharp said it will be the first company in the world to achieve commercial production of high-definition LCD panels for smartphones using eighth-generation glass substrates.
"At Kameyama Plant No. 2, which went online in August 2006, Sharp has been using large, 8th-generation glass substrates in the highly efficient production of LCD panels for big-screen TVs," reads the company's announcement. "Having introduced IGZO display technology in March 2012, Sharp has since been producing small- and medium-size LCD panels for tablet and notebook PCs as well as larger LCD panels for high-resolution LCD monitors."
"The highly efficient production levels achievable with 8th-generation glass substrates will be made possible by an optimized production process as well as by IGZO technology's ability to enable smaller thin-film transistors and increased light transmittance," the announcement adds.
Xbit Labs points out that Sharp showcased a 6.1 inch display last year sporting a 2560 x 1600 resolution and 498 pixels per inch density. This particular screen will likely target super high-end phones and professional devices. The site also speculates that monitors with a ppi around 500 could feature insane resolutions like 12800 x 7200, 13440 x 7560 or 7680 x 4320.
Sharp will reportedly work to meet "vigorously growing demand" for LCDs in the smartphone market. The company also plans to expand the range of applications for IGZO technology in products like 4K displays, notebooks and tablets. Sharp's IGZO tech will enable resolutions and pixel densities beyond Full HD on tablet and smartphone form factors.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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dimar Great, I really need a huge smart phone like on the picture. I hope they include a decent backpack.Reply -
DirectXtreme As if modern smartphone displays didn't already have a high enough PPI. Sharp should instead start producing 4K panels in smaller size ranges for the desktop because a 32" 4K monitor is clearly too large and expensive for most of us. Whose dumb idea was it there to start producing 4K panels in the 32" size range instead of something more feasible like 22-24"?Reply -
guvnaguy Yeah 500+ PPI is overkill for a smartphone. I laud the battery life increase though. Just keep it at 1080p, that way SoCs aren't draining more juice to power a needlessly-higher-res displayReply