If someone needed proof of how illogical things can get on the marketing and research departments of great tech companies, then one has to simply notice the resolutions of screens that those companies are attempting to bring to the markets. That is true especially for mobile devices. Currently, we have reached a maximum resolution of 2.5K (2560 x 1440) for 5 to 5.5 inch screens and the percentage of consumers who actually tell the difference between that resolution and the 2K (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution at the same screen, is disappointing small.
The next step is the inevitable 4K screens like the one that Sharp has already announced. Those screens manage to fit 3840 x 2160 pixels in 5.5 inches. If you look closely, you can see some vanity in all that but we shouldn’t stand on that as that is more of a philosophical debate. But still, the Koreans don’t seem to be eager to quit. Samsung revealed recently that it is already working on mobile devices’ screens with 11K(!) resolution.
Truly, Samsung Display started from early June to gather resources and expertise from various sources and research centres, in order to present sometime in the future those screens. So first the company ensured state funds (that come up to 26.5 million dollars) from the Korean government, as well as the collaboration of 13 research companies both inside and outside of the country. So after that, the Korean company initiated the project names EnDK and the timeline was put to less than 5 years. Their aim is to make the first 11K screen available for the Winter Olympics of Pyeonchang in 2018.
But those screens of course will not be used only for the Winter Olympics. Samsung is preparing them for mobile devices that will be widely used by all kinds of users across the globe.
Apple supports that after the 300 ppi (pixel per inch) the human eye in a “normal” viewing distance loses the ability to tell the difference between individual pixels. That may not be entirely correct at 300 ppi but in 535ppi that the 2.5K screens have it is definitely true. Well, Samsung is trying to offer more pixel density with its 11K screens (2250ppi) in just 5.5 inches. At this point let’s note that the 11K resolution is 11,000 x 6,000 pixels.
The company’s executives support that screens with that high resolution will be able to project content with such details and “depth” that they will remind the viewers the results of a stereoscopic image (but without the necessity of glasses of course).
Our opinion: 3D picture has failed to impress the audience on mobile devices so having a mobile device with a 11K screen is definitely something that you will be able to brag about, but other than that, there is literally no practical use.
It would be more interesting to see big companies like Samsung – that already have the resources and the expertise – to look for new ways to take advantage of the existing high resolutions.
More pixels (higher resolution) equals better system to support that kind of resolution and an even bigger battery (to achieve satisfying autonomy), so who’s to say that we won’t see the prices of devices with such screens going over the ceiling since they will be accompanied by powerful technical features that will be needed?
There are a lot going on here and even though such resolution on 5.5 inches is a bit too much, it’s still an interesting project. So stay tuned to find out what’s new.
Last Modified: Mar 26, 2019