On Friday, Sharp announced that its factory in Kameyama, Japan is finally turning out IGZO LED panels. The displays are being made for mostly smartphones and tablets. For example, panels being produced include a seven-inch, 1280x800 display for tablets, a 10-inch 2560x1600 display, and a large 32-inch, 3840x2160 desktop display. It's possible that other sizes of panels are also being produced.
Sharp's IGZO factory in Kameyama
IGZO (iridium gallium zinc oxide) LCD displays are useful to designers looking to increase the resolution on a product's screen, and those looking to build a slim device. The material used in producing these screens allows for the use of smaller TFTs and more illumination for each pixel which reduces the need for a powerful backlight. Had the IGZO panels been available in time to use on the new iPad, the third iteration of Apple's tablet might not have needed the bigger battery and thicker footprint necessary to include extra LED backlighting. The latter is required to keep the unit's 2048x1536 resolution Retina display bright. The IGZO panels were unable to be used for the most recent iPad model because the panels failed Apple's approval process.
Sharp has not yet named any customers for the plant's production although it is believed that Apple is interested. The Cupertino based Tech Titan could use the display on the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad to increase the pixel density of the screen without having to increase battery size and the thickness of the tablet. Apple is believed to have invested $1 billion in Sharp as a way to insure that they have a source of panels.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: