Qualcomm predicts the mainstream rise of 2K smartphones
A new wave of 2K display packing smartphones will be announced in the near future, leading chipset manufacturer Qualcomm has predicted.
While the first consumer available 2K handsets entered the realms of reality last year in the form of the LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Qualcomm has suggested that the technology will be widely adopted in high-end phones over the coming months.
With MWC 2015 set to kick off in Barcelona in just a matter of weeks, we might not have to wait too long before these QHD powerhouses enter the realms of reality, either.
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Although not being drawn on which manufacturers he expects to join the 2K revolution, he added: “China as a market tends to be very specs driven so there are tonnes of 2K phones available there already and of course the LG G3 is 2K.
“We think you’re going to see a lot more 2K displays.”
While 2K screens are set to hit the mainstream, according to McDonough, the mooted move to 4K panels won’t occur anytime soon.
“We still have to figure out the form factor where there is a true user benefit [for 4K]. That’s probably a starting point,” he told us.
“I think it is more around does the benefit match the cost, that’s why we see the move to 4K screens moving much more quickly on tablets. Phones are probably more in the future.”
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While McDonough’s predictions might sound a little obvious to some, they go against claims from some manufacturers that 2K panels aren’t worth the battery-life trade off or added costs.
With HTC expected to snub the move to a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel panel with the upcoming HTC One M9, Sony has previously spoken out on the negatives of the high-res technology.
“If we believe that a key part of the user experience for consumers is to have a longer term battery, and if we believe we can deliver a great screen with Full HD and our Sony technologies, we don’t believe the trade-off between having a 2K screen and battery consumption is the right trade-off for a consumer,” Calum MacDougall, Sony’s Director of Xperia Marketing said speaking with TrustedReviews last year.