Samsung takes screen resolution to a new level

Today's smartphones are an impressive piece of technology to say the least. QHD displays commonly found in premium smartphones pack approximately 500-600 pixels-per-inch (ppi) making it easy to watch those youtube cat videos, all done through the clearest of pictures. Taking it one step further and you have Sharp Corp, who announced in April the first commercial 4K (ppi) smartphone display for sampling, an impressive upgrade. But it seems Samsung have decided to take it one... or several steps further with a project destined to change the way smartphones display visual content and potentially, in the process, change the way we engage and interact with our mobile devices moving forwards.

The new Samsung 11k smartphone began its journey to production in early June when it was reported that developments on a super smartphone were underway, but it's not just Samsung who is responsible for the phone's production. It’s understood that collaboration will occur with the South Korean government, who has invested $26.5 million into the project along with 13 other undisclosed organisations eager to get the ground-breaking device to market.

Many are calling the 11k overkill, but Samsung Display Base Technology Department executive director Chu Hye Yong has said “Although some might think that 11K is ‘over specified’ and that consumers don't need it, this can work as a basis for display industries globally, to help in the technological integration of related materials and parts, providing innovation and overall improvements.”

The Specs

It's understood that the smartphone will possess a "super-resolution" display with an insane pixel density of 2,250 (ppi), according to ET News. Based on a 16:9 aspect ratio, an 11K display with that pixel density would measure 5.74 inches diagonal, with a resolution of 11,264 х 6,336.

A screen of this size and quality opens the doors to unlimited possibilities, the most enticing being that of 3D integration. This incredibly high-resolution display will theoretically allow for basic graphics schemes to trick the brain into passively seeing 3D imagery without glasses. This would work somewhat similar to the passive 3D effects seen in Nintendo Comp., Ltd.'s 3DS handheld. But at 11K the effect would be far more vivid and realistic to the brain.

Currently, the record for the highest resolution displays are held by Kopin Corp. (KOPN). In 2008, Kopin released a 1.12 cm, 2,272 ppi (800x600) LCD display, following this up in 2011 with an even more impressive 3,760 ppi in a 0.53 cm VGA (640x480). These small, pricey pieces are being targeted at very high-end wearable computers (e.g. heads up displays) and camera viewfinders but are yet to find their place directly into mobile integration.

Questions to Answer

Samsung is hoping to show off a prototype of the 11k to the public by 2018, but many questions remain unanswered. Two we are dying to hear about are whether the Samsung 11k will have a price tag similar to its namesake? And just how does Samsung plan to run a device with more pixels, higher resolution displays and greater processing power with the current battery system setup in the market? Maybe an advance in renewale energy could help to improve its potentially horrific battery life?

Whatever the case, we look forward to watching this space further to learn more about one of the most exciting technological leaps of our generation.