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Samsung working on a 4K '800ppi' phone screen, and 7th-gen AMOLED displays

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Apr 21, 2017, 9:10 AM

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Samsung Display

This alleged Note 8 schematic may actually depict a 4K display

Tucked neatly in the info that Samsung will be starting production of 7th generation AMOLED panels from Q2 next year, is this little nugget: "Samsung Display has continued research to diversify its OLED portfolio to include foldable OLED, chip-on-plastic OLED and 800ppi high-resolution OLED."

Well, we are not surprised that the 7th generation will be upon us next year, while every other OLED screen maker is still tooling up for the 6th, and with every new generation we get better panel quality, less power draw, and the like, but it's the other three things mentioned that piqued our interest. The foldable OLED is clear - that's for the elusive Galaxy X bendable phone that may or may not be produced in small test batches later this year to test market reaction. "Chip-on-plastic" is also another industry speak for flexible AMOLED displays with plastic, instead of glass substrates, similar to the curved displays of the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

How about that "800ppi high-resolution OLED," though? This kind of pixel density isn't for TV screens or tablets, but rather smaller devices, like phones. A 5.5" display with 3840x2160 Ultra HD "4K" resolution would have exactly 801ppi pixel density, for instance, and it's not the first time Samsung is rumored to be perfecting such a 4K screen. Samsung was said to equip the S8 with those, but it went the route of Infinity Display, and we can't say that we are disappointed with the result.

The Note 8 is rumored to arrive with a 4K panel, but if it is indeed a 6.4" one, as speculated, and Samsung wants to keep its new 18.5:9 ratio, the phablet might score a 4428 x 2160 resolution, with the on-screen buttons strip occupying a hundred pixels or so at the bottom. That would return "only" 770ppi, though, not 800, but it's in the ballpark, so VR aficionados might be inclined to give it a pass.

After all, so far only Sony has phones with 4K displays in its "Premium" line, so if Samsung pulls this off, it would be a cause for significant bragging rights, and battery life nightmares.

source: The Investor

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.