Hitachi has begun the production of a high-resolution LCD, especially made for mobile phones and similar devices .

Displays with a 320 x 240 pixel (QVGA) resolution have grown in popularity and can be found in quite of few of today's mobile phones. While I have not yet heard anyone complaining that a QVGA resolution display on a mobile phone was not enough, there's always room for better.

And Hitachi's new LCDs for mobile phones, measuring 2.9 inches, are by far better, achieving the highest resolution to be recorded so far by mobile phone LCDs, 800 x 480, approximately five times worth of screen area than the QVGA resolution displays provide. The company's IPS liquid crystal technology was used for wide viewing angle and high image quality.

According to Hitachi, "the industry's first 800 x 480 product as a mobile phone display panel" is ideal for watching DVD and NTSC quality videos. The panel boasts a viewing angle of over 170 degrees, contrast ratio of about 400:1 and luminance of 250 cd/m2. It will also enable users to truly enjoy web browsing or higher-resolution images without having to side scroll.

The mass production of the LCD panels for mobile phones has begun and devices equipped with such LCDs are expected to be released starting early next year. Hitachi has not yet made any official announcement regarding the mobile phone manufacturers that plan to release mobile phones using this type of display.