We have seen some Sharp MEMS/IGZO displays at CEATEC 2013 which concluded earlier this month, and those were definitely mouth watering screens to feast one’s eyes upon. The resolution count is definitely a whole lot higher than what we are used to on regular smartphones, and it is nice to hear that Sharp will be delivering high definition IGZO displays to smartphones soon, as production of these displays are touted to begin later this year.
IGZO, which is short for the indium gallium zinc oxide semiconductor on which the display is based, happens to be a Sharp-developed technology which features smaller pixels compared to existing LCD (liquid crystal display) screens. In a nutshell, the smaller pixels would mean that one is able to cram in a whole lot more into a similar amount of space, hence leading the display to pack a higher definition capability. A couple of Sharp handsets that will go on sale in Japan will feature these displays, namely the Aquos Phone Zeta SH-01F that comes with a 5-inch IGZO screen with full HD (1920 by 1080 pixel) resolution, followed by the Aquos Phone EX SH-02F that sports a similar resolution count on a 4.7” display.
That would mean a pixel density of 487 pixels per inch (ppi), compared to the iPhone 5S that has a 326ppi. Retina Display who?