Samsung: 4K Display Coming in 2015

Even though a 2K smartphone display has not yet officially arrived, Samsung SSNLF said it would come out with 4K display sometime in 2015.

For a bit of perspective consider this. On a 5-inch screen, a 2K display provides resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, or 560 pixels per inch. According to G for Games, Samsung’s proposed 4K display would come in at 3,480 x 2,160 pixels or an almost mind-numbing 820 pixels per inch.

As bendable and curved screens make their way into the mainstream, Samsung seemed determined to keep pixel count and density a continuing theme among smartphone makers.

Samsung’s announcement that it would have a 4K display by 2015 came at the Semiconductor and Display Technology Roadmap Seminar 2014 in South Korea on Monday. With the Galaxy S5 smartphone rumored to be coming out next month and sporting a 2K display, the mention of an even higher definition “high def” screen was good news for consumers who rely more and more on smartphone displays for their computing activities.

Related: Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S5 Unveiling Set For February 23, 2014

Better displays provide for easier reading and better overall clarity. Of course, whether the world even needs 4K is subject to some debate since, according to IB Times, more than 500 pixels per inch makes individual pixels virtually unnoticeable on a 5 inch smartphone screen in the first place.

On the other hand, a 4K display on a 10-inch tablet, CNET said, makes a lot of sense. CNET added that although the 4K display may not appear “for real” for 12 to 18 months, it is likely that prototypes will begin showing up at events like IFA, which takes place this coming fall.

Meanwhile, as TechRadar noted, with smartphones like the Apple iPhone 5S providing resolution of just over 300ppi and even the LG G2 at about 423ppi, a jump to a 2K-based 560ppi likely to be available on the Samsung Galaxy S5, should be obvious to the human eye.

Although Samsung’s proposed 820ppi smartphone display would be a stunning achievement, it would not be the highest resolution achieved to date. That honor belongs to MicroOLED, which manufacturers a 0.61-inch micro-display with a resolution of 2,560 x 2,048 pixels or 5,374ppi. Of course, since putting such resolution on a smartphone screen would require much larger pixels to be feasible, don't expect a 5,374ppi smartphone screen anytime soon.

At the time of this writing, Jim Probasco had no position in any mentioned securities.