Japan Display ships first samples of 4K, 10.1-inch tablet LCDs

While smartphone screen sizes appear to be closing the gap between the mobile phone and tablet, larger handheld devices are further advancing screen technology and Japan Display is looking to add 4K to the mix. The company has announced a new 10.1-inch IPS LCD display with a "4K2K" resolution (3840 x 2160). This would provide a super high-definition experience for tablet owners with a pixel density of 438ppi, comparable to premium smartphones.

The display also features a 160-degree viewing angle (thanks to IPS), a brightness of around 400 nits and a contrast ratio of 1100:1. For those who aren't up to speed with terminology or specifications when it comes to screens, that's not a bad list. This display would enable Windows and Android tablet manufacturers to effectively leapfrog Apple, with the iPad Air sporting a display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536.

It's not known exactly when we'll be able to see this display used in tablets, nor do we know which OEMs (or platforms) will pick this technology up. What we do know is that 4K is coming to tablets, it's simply a question of when. Check the press release below for more details. Would you like to see a 4K 10.1-inch Windows tablet?

Source: Japan Display, via: GSM Arena

JDI announces 4K2K display for tablets

April 23, 2014 (Tokyo, Japan) - Japan Display Inc. (President and CEO: Shuichi Otsuka; JDI), has developed a 10.1-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) module with an ultra-high resolution of 3,840 (horizontal) x 2,160 (vertical) pixels (hereinafter "4K2K") for tablets in a bid to expand the 4K2K experience to the mobile area. It has begun shipping samples.

JDI developed a 12.1-inch 4K2K LCD module (resolution density 365ppi) last year and presented it at the FPD international 2013*1. The new 10.1-inch product is an LCD module with even higher resolution (438ppi).

As the 4K2K format is increasingly used in displays for televisions and camera devices, related image processing technologies and peripheral devices are evolving. Centered on these technologies and devices, the trend towards higher resolution is permeating in the mobile area. The introduction of this product will open the way for high-reality immersive expressions of photos, video content and game content for tablets. JDI will be pioneering the commercialization of 4K2K display modules for mobile devices as next-generation flagship models.

This product incorporates the low-temperature poly silicon (LTPS) technology that has long been cultivated by JDI, to provide low power consumption, low profile and narrow dead-band features. In particular, its power consumption is as low as that of the 10.1-inch WQXGA2 LCD module based on the amorphous silicon technology3, even though it is a high capacity display panel. With the battery running time unchanged, it offers users a 4K2K experience.

In the field of mobile devices, where performance enhancement is accelerating, JDI will be working to satisfy customers' demand with its LTPS technology and production capacity that keeps pace with mobile device innovation.

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

55 Comments
  • 4K in 10.1 inch? For what?
  • If mobiles record 4K video do we need 4K screens,to show this,quality? IDK
  • Yeah. IDK. Meanwhile most of our laptop is still 720p..
  • It's the same pixel density as a Lumia Icons screen.. It will look just as good as a high end smartphone screen, and that's awesome.. Who wouldn't want that?.... It's not all about watching 4k video.. Lol!! You guys crack me up....
  • +928! It's options for screens. And I'm sure it'll come to PCs one day as well. But me likey this news!
  • This⬆
  • for one thing, 4k Fresh Paint paintings. Makes for a higher quality printout.
  • I think where it can really shine is magazine/ebook style reading, it will be as good as a text on paper.
  • for pr0n y'know!
  • Seems... ...like overkill. But I suppose overkill is nice sometimes.
  • I wonder what pixel density a 4k smartwatch display would have...
  • Probably no different than most the high pixel density devices you're using now. There does come a certain point where extra pixels literally won't make any difference in quality, because once it reaches a certain pixel density: The human eye simply can't distinguish different pixels. Any extra pixels beyond this point would be pointless. So a 4k smartwatch? It'll likely look almost the same as the high resolution screens currently trending on mobile phones.
  • "Sorry, I thought you told me something other than 'good luck' because there was an amoeba on the L"
  • 4k in 10.1"? Surface Pro 3 please!
  • My thoughts exactly. xD But sounds like that'd be a really expensive model, for what (for me) wouldn't hold much benefit because I already can't really see the pixels on my current 1080p SP2, so 4k would only look better to a limited degree.
  • In a titanium shell...
  • MS and app developers would have to do a better job supporting hi res screens in desktop mode. It would be unusable at this res.
  • i certinaly hope so. I would love to start doing 4k paintings in Fresh Paint.
  • I wonder how much a 4k tablet would cost.
  • About ~$4000?   ;)
  • 4K is best suited to big TV's, do we really need it on a tablet?
  • It's actually less suited to TVs in a way. Unless you're TV is super big and/or you sit extremely close to it, 1080p is already high enough resolution to not be able to distinguish any pixels for many. Hell, 720p is more than enough for most. Now I'm not sure how much 10.1in tablet devices would benefit, but 20-30in computer monitors would certainly appreciate the full platter of benefits of the bumped resolution, due to how close the user sits in front of them. Maybe my SP2 could use a bit of a pixel bump, but 4k sounds like overkill for a device of that size. But let's wait and see what the future holds.
  • I don't see the point of 4K at 10.1 inches. But we also didn't see the point of a 720p screen on 4 inches when the Zune HD was released. Then 1080p phone happened.
    We shall see..
  • +1020
  • Exactly
  • The point of high end 10" devices soon featuring a 4K screen is that the prices of those with 1080p screens will have to drop. Bring it on!
  • I don't really remember the conversation about 720p being pointless. There is definitely a noticable difference between the 720p phones and the older lower resolution phones. The difference between 720p and 1080p on a phone is really not noticable.
  • Yeah it was a big conversation because everyone expected it to be HD. Since it was called "Zune HD".
  • 4k? Personally I can't wait for 4000ppi.. By that stage displays will be literally indistinguishable from reality to our eyes! I reckon maybe 10-15 years at the rate technology is progressing?
  • Probably within a few years. We don't need a pixel density of 4000 to trick our eyes. Seeing as a PPI if 400 is considered close, then 1000 PPI would be more than enough. Anything beyond that would be overkill, as no humans would be able to appreciate the difference. I give it five years tops before we see this in high end devices, 10 years before it's in nearly everything, and 15 before it's pretty much everywhere. Likely a lot less than those numbers.
  • Glare, reflection, lighting incongruity, colour inaccuracy, bezel. get rid of that stuff and id be tricked at 1080p on 26". Ppi is half the story.
  • Windows Explorer says nope.
  • Haha, yeeeah.. Microsoft's gonna have to make sure their scaling is ready for this!
  • Explorer says, scale 200% or more ;)
  • @shapmango. Reality will still be so easy to distinguish. A normal everyday scene in reality contains several thousands degrees of luminance. The human eye is able to perceive several millions, but our tv and monitors are still stuck with 256. But of course, it is easier to increase a simple layman number (display resolution) than to rewrite totally the existing standards. After all, it already worked for dsc where the industry managed to convince 95% of people that megapixels is the single measurement of image quality...
  • Japanise technology making great Change......like it...
  • 4k2k? deem.
  • I don't care! Its still WOW!!! 10 inch 4K... Watta fish!
  • Noice
  • Completely useless.
  • Isn't it 'Murica's job to overkill?
  • Overkill in my opinion. I love my 1080p Surface 2 screen. I don't think I need much more.
  • Just for fun, ill be that guy.... Whats this got to do with wp? Please rename the site if u r going to report on other things....
  • It seems faster.
  • Its interesting to WP users
  • Sa-weet!!!
  • They better start coming out with better batteries.
  • I checked out a 4k tv on display at Best Buy, and at 60 inches standing 8 feet away, it was noticably better than the 1080p. But I just dont think the difference will be that noticable on a 10" screen.
  • This is pretty much the same density as the Nexus 5.  Since I started using that alongside the Lumia 1020 on a daily basis, I say bring it on.  The difference between 334 PPI and 445 PPI is noticeable.  I can't imagine that a higher density would be helpful though.  445 PPI seems to nicely make human perception the limiting factor no matter how close you try to get to the display.  Where this really helps is with small text and shapes with sharp edges, basically anything non-photographic.
  • I'm sorry, but apple has got it right here. There is no reason to go for such high pixel densities beyond what the human eye can resolve, beyond bragging rights. Tablets have no need for the same pixel densities as phones (and phones are already over pixeled) because nobody holds a tablet as close to their face as a phone. It is all about proper viewing distances and what the eye can resolve at those distances. All these extra pixels do nothing more than use up more processing power, more battery, generate more heat for no benefit. Games, videos, photos, and even web browsing will look NO better, but require larger, heavier batteries to get the same battery life an iPad does. In fact, games will run worse and at lower framerates trying to push that many pixels. Apple is smart in that they use the optimal resolution for human eyes (hence the "retina" name) and not a pixel more. Apple has never gotten caught up in specs. As much as I'm not a fan of apple, they are definitely playing the display game smart.
  • The demo of the Snapdragon 805 on the tablet was not in 4k ??? Anyway for a phone or a tablet it is useless !!!
  • Surface will have it 5 years later.
  • why the hell we are still stuck with 10" tablets? there are `"phablets" with 6" screens why cant the same happen with tablets? i want a 15-17" tablap then
  • UHD.  Not 4k.
  • I want to know how much for a sample and can it be used for a DIY projector?!?!