<p>Sharp has started production of a 5-inch smartphone screen with the same resolution as top-end HDTVs, 1920 x 1080, which is a whopping 443 pixels per inch. What's driving the trend for larger displays with more clarity? Thank mobile app maturity and online video content.</p><p>Starting this month, Sharp will have a full production line producing full HD displays for smartphones. The 5-inch LCD screens will support 1920 x 1080 resolution, which is the highest found on HDTVs that are in stores today. That works out to an eye-popping 443 pixels per inch, or a pixel density roughly 30 percent higher than the Retina display used on Apple's iPhone.</p><p>Production of the new display, as reported by Unwired View, is specifically slated for smartphones, although the definition of what's a phone and what's a tablet is showing some overlap. Samsung's new Galaxy Note 2, for example, uses a 5.5-inch display at 1280 x 720 resolution, and has tablet features along with the traditional voice calling of a smartphone.</p><p>This move towards larger touchscreen displays isn't new, however. I started to see the trend develop in early 2010 as smartphones began creeping closer to 4 inches in size. The following year, such a size was viewed as nearly standard even as phones with 5-inch or larger displays hit the market. Add in the growing market for 7-inch tablets and we may see some "meeting in the middle" in terms of screen size for portable handsets and small tablets.</p><p><a href="http://gigaom.com/mobile/your-next-smartphone-screen-could-rival-your-hdtv/">Keep reading...</a></p>