Hitachi unveils 4.5-inch 3D display with 720p resolution; no glasses required

Those of you who have checked out the HTC EVO 3D or the LG Optimus 3D would probably admit that being able to watch 3D content without those dorky glasses is pretty neat. However, there is no denial that the parallax barrier technology seen on these smartphones' displays still has quite a few drawbacks to overcome with the relatively low image resolution and the drop in brightness being among the more noticeable ones.

Well, Hitachi has just unveiled an IPS LCD display that appears to be capable of bringing the glasses-free 3D experience to the next level. The panel may be only 4.5 inches in diagonal, but packs the impressive resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels, which is a step up from what one would see on a contemporary 3D-enabled device. Besides that, a quick calculation shows that the display clocks in at 326 ppi, which means that it should be able to deliver images as sharp and detailed as they look on the iPhone 4's Retina display, at least in 2D mode.

Besides boasting a higher resolution than the glasses-free 3D displays available today, Hitachi's display has the surprising ability to be brighter in 3D mode than it is when displaying 2D images. That is accomplished thanks to the more efficient lenticular lens technology, which has been used instead of the parallax barrier method in creating the stereoscopic 3D effect.

It has not been said when Hitachi's display will become available or will it ever make it to a commercial device at all. However, that probably depends on whether there will be sufficient demand for the technology, and our poll from not long ago indicates that the market is simply not that crazy about 3D-capable smartphones just yet.

source: Hitachi (translated) via GSMArena