Sharp Aims 5-Inch, 443 PPI 1920x1080 Pixel Displays at Smartphone Market

From DailyTech: While Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd. (KSC:005930) 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. (TYO:6753).

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, which Sharp promises brings smartphone displays in line with their full-size counterparts. 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 Inc. (KSC:066570) 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, Inc.'s (AAPL) 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. (TYO:6502), 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.

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