Sharp on Tuesday showcased in Japan a 4.1-inch, 2K LCD display for with a pixel density of 736ppi, adding that a panel capable of reproducing "4K" video images version is coming in 2017. The 4.1-inch IGZO LCD panel has 2,560 × 1,600 pixels (WQXGA) and a pixel pitch of just 11.5μm × 3 (RGB). Its 736ppi pixel density is almost double compared to the company's previous 4.7-inch LCD panel (312ppi), while its pixels about 3/4 smaller in size. In addition, such a pixel density means that the 2K prototype can become a 6-inch, 4K panel in the future.

The highest-resolution LCD panel that the company has so far developed is a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel that has a resolution of 550ppi. And its highest-resolution IGZO LCD panel was a panel with a resolution slightly lower than 500ppi. The new panel was made using Sharp's IGZO liquid crystal technology. Sharp plans its commercialization in 2016.

Sharp also said that it will develop by March 2017 a smartphone panel capable of reproducing 4K videos by 2017.

The Japanese company aims to lift its profitability despite price competition in the display panel market by offing a variety of new technologies, said senior executive managing officer Norikazu Hoshi at a press conference in Osaka.