Good morning folks, today I showed and talked about the sharpest screen display technology available today for personal and business computing.
I showed Sharp’s IGZO screen technology on their 32-inch PNK322B monitor, $7,199. Needless to say it’s an amazing screen, in this case running on Windows. It’s a touchscreen too, in fact ten simultaneous fingers capable on Windows 8. It works with a stylus as well. Sharp does not own IGZO technology but is the first to license it in new monitors, laptops, tablets and phones.
With a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, the equivalent of four Full HD screens, it’s basically a 4K, Ultra HDTV squeezed down to 32 inches.
The Apple Store also sells a less expensive version without touch screen, the Sharp 32″ PN-K321 – 4K Ultra HD LED Monitor, $3,849 which comes with two built-in speakers.
Now for folks like you and me (hey, I have to send these back) you might wonder why I am showing such pricey items on TV.
Because the very same ultra-resolution Sharp IGZO screen technology is also available on the new Dell XPS 15 laptop starting at $1,899.99 compared to Apple’s MacBook Pro Retina display starting at $2,049. It’s also used on the iPad mini retina and iPad Air, but not that crazy 4K resolution.
Let’s talk about the Dell XPS 15 which is sharper at 3,840 x 2,160 pixels compared to the MacBook Pro 15 at 2880-by-1800 pixels with similar IPS screen quality. But it comes with many more customization options such as a combo 1TB hard drive and SSD, or a Samsung 500 GB SSD. Both are armed to the teeth with Intel 4th gen i7 technology (the XPS Turbo Boosts to 3.2 GHz to Apple’s 3.5 GHz). They weigh in within a couple of grams 2.01 kg for the XPS versus 2.06 kg for the MacBook Pro and have a classy tier one look with attention to detail.
The XPS 15, which can surpass $4,000 with options, features a nice feeling medium hard rubber finish around the keyboard and wrist rest area and a sensitive multi finger touchpad.
It comes with Windows 8.1, a must upgrade from Windows 8, as applications recognize the ultra-screen resolution and you can easily change settings to see larger icons that retain their sharpness.
The XPS 15 screen is so sharp, you can’t see pixels with the human eye, it’s like working with today’s sharpest smartphones, but on a much larger screen. www.dell.ca
Some apps still have some catching up to look their best on these high resolutions. Internet Explorer works great with sharp graphics compared to Chrome browser, as it recognizes the sharper screen, as does Office 365. But Photoshop still shows tiny icons on this big screen. Still, images look drop-dead gorgeous. FYI, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom 5 combo are available for only $9.99 US a month from https://creative.adobe.com/
IGZO, short for indium gallium zinc oxide, technology lights up its pixels more efficiently requiring less power, about 50 per cent less, and a thinner format. This gives another advantage to the XPS 15 as its battery lasts 10 per cent longer than the MacBook Pro.
The iPad mini retina also uses IGZO screen technology, as does the newest iPad Air, both thinner and longer lasting on batteries, but with a lower display score that more traditional display technologies like LTPS, used for years on iPhones.
I have seen IGZO technology on Japanese tablets and phones with impressive results. Time will tell if pushing traditional technology, like Samsung does, to the limits can match the start of new IGZO technology which has a brighter and energy efficient future.
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