LG: Next flagship phone to sport vastly improved 5.5-inch LCD
The new screen represents a "quantum jump" in brightness, contrast ratio, touch functionality and other key features, according to LG.
LG will outfit its next flagship phone with a screen that promises major improvements in just about every way.
The new QHD (Quad High Definition) LCD display "represents a quantum jump in terms of key features," LG Display said Friday. Those features include brightness, color gamut, contrast ratio, touch function, power consumption and thinness.
The new screens have already entered mass production to be used in LG's upcoming flagship smartphone scheduled to debut the end of the month.
LG did not mention the name of its next flagship phone in Friday's announcement. But the company will host a launch event on April 28 for the device. Industry watchers expected it to be dubbed the G4 -- as a follow-up to LG's current flagship phone, the G3 .
The G3 helped LG score record smartphone sales for last year's third quarter as well as its highest-ever market share in North America. However, the company faces a greater challenge this year squaring off against Apple's iPhone 6 lineup and Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S6 phones. Smartphone makers are constantly looking to improve the screen in terms of brightness, sharpness, touch sensitivity and other features. Any display innovations LG can promote for its next phone could help win more sales amid the heavy competition.
The new 5.5-inch QHD screen offers a resolution of 2,560x1,440 pixels, four times higher than the standard HD resolution of 1,280x720. The 5.5-inch display holds 538 pixels per inch. LG also promises richer and more accurate colors due to what it describes as the screen's 120 percent color gamut, which indicates the total range of available colors.
The screen also sports a contrast ratio 50 percent higher than that of conventional QHD LCD panels and a brightness 30 percent higher -- both without any surge in power consumption, according to LG. The higher contrast ratio creates deeper blacks, brighter colors and a sharper picture, LG said, while the brighter screen helps you see the display better in bright sunlight.
Touch sensitivity is another factor LG is touting for the new screen. A technology called Advanced In-Cell Touch (AIT) improves on in-cell touch technology, which combines the touch sensor and the LCD display in one layer. With AIT, which was developed by LG Display, the touch sensor is actually embedded within the LCD, which leads to greater touch sensitivity and a thinner overall design, according to LG.
LG Display creates the actual screen panels for mobile phones and other devices. LG Electronics sells the end-products outfitted with those panels, including phones, tablets and TVs.
The company did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.