LG Display will reportedly produce the world’s first 5.7-inch QHD+ LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio for its upcoming flagship phone.
The move is a response to consumers’ ever-increasing interest in phones with bigger, more vivid smartphone screens, according to South Korea’s IT Times. The new screen would essentially provide a 2:1 aspect ratio for its upcoming G6, enabling a more immersive viewing experience. Samsung’s Galaxy S7, for instance, offers an aspect ratio of 16:9.
“We expect to maximize user experience and customer value through the super high-quality display with its new 18:9 aspect ratio, which sets it apart from conventional displays for smartphones,” Byeong-koo Kim, senior vice president and head of Mobile Development Group 1 at LG Display, told the IT Times. “LG Display will continue to set new standards in premium mobile displays, based on its differentiated technology.”
QHD, or Quad High Definition, is a resolution for smartphone screens and other displays that usually offers a 16:9 aspect ratio and delivers resolution four times higher than that of 720p standard high definition.
LG is looking to expand its component businesses as it struggles to compete in a brutally competitive worldwide smartphone market. LG reported a $389.4 million loss in its mobile communications division during the third quarter of 2016 despite shipping 13.5 million devices and growing its U.S. sales by 14% quarter-on-quarter.
Reports surfaced last month that LG was in talks to supply batteries to Samsung in the wake of the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, and LG is also said to be investing heavily in OLEDs to compete for display orders for Apple’s next high-end iPhone. LG appears to be hoping to leverage its display-manufacturing business to differentiate its new flagship with a big, ultra-high-resolution screen.