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Samsung and LG expected to release 1080p phones in first half of 2013

Samsung and LG expected to release 1080p phones in first half of 2013

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Full HD AMOLED and LCD panels coming to a Korean smartphone near you

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Gallery Photo: LG 5-inch 1080p prototype display photos
Gallery Photo: LG 5-inch 1080p prototype display photos

Korean daily MK News is reporting word from its industry sources this morning that both Samsung and LG are planning to unveil new smartphones with Full HD displays in the first half of next year. 1080p panels small enough to fit a mobile phone seemed like the exclusive preserve of febrile imaginations only a few months ago, but LG has already shown off a 5-inch prototype and HTC has of course beaten everyone to the punch with its Full HD J Butterfly handset in Japan. Now the two Korean giants, aided by their respective friends at Samsung Display and LG Display, are said to be actively working on their catchup strategies — Samsung is expected to stick with its trusted AMOLED technology and LG will surely be harnessing that LCD prototype for its own products.

Fellow Korean outfit Pantech is also mooted to be planning to promote a Full HD handset in the early part of 2013, though details on where it may source its displays from have not yet been uncovered. MK News has had a decent record of unearthing early information on the plans of the big Korean companies, having correctly identified the Galaxy Note II's quad-core processor upgrade and enlarged display. Then again, it also had some information at the time that didn't subsequently pan out, such as the expected 12-megapixel camera, but in the case of these 1080p devices, it seems almost inevitable that Samsung and LG will indeed pursue feature parity with HTC's handsome Butterfly.