Sharp screens to bring HD-LCD pixels to smartphones
The company has started producing a new range of panels that aim to give smartphone screens the same pixel density of full HD-LCD TV sets.
Sharp's new 1,080x1,920 LCD panels will feature a pixel density of 443 ppi that the technology giant claims is 1.3 times the industry standard and "among the highest in the world."
Production began at the end of September at Mie Plant No. 3 in Kameyama, Japan. The plant currently produces LCD television sets starting with the panels all the way through final assembly.
Full-scale production of the new smartphone screens is due to begin this month.
The new LCD panel integrates the latest in silicon tech, a new pixel design, and a revamped manufacturing process to achieve the rate of pixels normally reserved for large LCD television screens. According to Sharp, the modern CG-Silicon technology will allow the screens to display crisper text, clear maps, and realistic HD images.
"By providing ultra-detailed LCD panels to support the growing worldwide demand for smartphones, Sharp will contribute to smartphones with increasingly higher quality images," the company said in a statement.
Sharp produces the 5-inch screen for Apple's recently released iPhone 5 and has pushed back claims that it was responsible for low supplies of the sought-after mobile device. An unnamed company executive at the Japanese firm said despite financial issues, the Kameyama LCD plant is manufacturing "adequate volumes" of displays.
Recent reports have suggested that Sharp is considering cutting over 10,000 jobs, which represents roughly 18 percent of its workforce. In addition, the company doubled cuts in management pay to 10 percent in September, slashing end-of-year bonuses by 50 percent.
At the end of Q2, the firm owned $16 billion in debt after failing to reach an agreement with Foxconn over the purchase of a minority stake. However, even as Sharp's shares continue to fall, it secured a 360 billion yen ($4.64 billion) loan last week.