Samsung Sets Into Motion 11K Resolution Mobile Screens

If there's one thing you can't say about Samsung, it's that the Korean manufacturer lacks ambition. Some might claim it even has too much of it. While there are still disbelievers of even just 2K, even more so 4K, resolutions on smartphones, Samsung is already ready to go the extra mile, or in this case extra light year. Korean media reports that it Samsung has just gotten the ball rolling to develop 11K resolution screens for mobile devices that will go out as early as 2018.

Yes, 11K. Let's put that into perspective. So far, the highest resolution on mobile is 2K. The highest on modern TV sets, is 4K, also known as Ultra HD or UHD. 8K hasn't even started to cause a ripple, with very little support in both hardware and software. 11K then, which is four times higher than 2K QHD and has a pixel density of 2250 ppi, sounds almost like a pipedream.

The purpose for trying to fast track development of this type of display sounds similarly ludicrous. It's all for the sake of 3D. In theory, the higher the number of pixels crammed in a smaller space, the greater the chance of producing the optical illusion of displaying 3D images without the need of wearing specialized glasses. It would seem similar to what the Nintendo 3DS tries to pull off, but also without the need for specialized hardware other than the super, ultra, mega high density screen.

And lest you think Samsung's rivalry with LG and Apple finally pushed it over the edge, it has more than 13 supporters to back it up not just with time and manpower but also money. Dubbed EnDK, the project consists of Samsung and 13 other companies, both foreign and local, who have already started the required R&D last month. The Korean government, through the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning (MSIP) are also on board, investing $26.5 million over the next 5 years just for this very purpose.

As for when this unbelievable display will arrive, they aren't saying when a consumer-ready version will be available, but the project is aiming at a public demo of the prototype by the time the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 takes place.

SOURCE: Electronic Times

VIA: Engadget