Samsung Showcases 4K UHD Display For VR

, & Will Mason

24 May 2016

It looks like a 4K Samsung Gear VR might be a lot closer than we thought.

At the Display Week conference in San Francisco, CA this week – Samsung showcased a number of next generations of displays, but it was the VR area that (obviously) caught our eye most.

Tucked among the televisions, cellphones and monitors Samsung quietly was showing off a “high resolution for VR” 5.5” display boasting a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution and a 44.7% increase in pixel density (806ppi). Shown outside of a headset, display itself was pretty gorgeous, bright with excellent contrast and color – however it seemed to be running at a lower frame rate, so it may currently have a less than optimal refresh rate for VR, though we were unable to verify this.

Speaking with a Samsung representative at the booth, the display itself is currently being demoed as a “prototype”, despite swirling rumors that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will have a 4K display (it is also worth noting this display was 5.5”, whereas the Note 5 had a 5.7” display). It remains to be seen though just how long this display remains in the prototype stage.

Higher definition displays weren’t the only VR aimed tech Samsung showcased either, they also showed off a technology they are calling “Bio Blue,” which is aimed at displaying less of the potentially harmful blue light (6% of it as compared to the 32% blasted by current AMOLED displays). This could be useful for VR because it could allow you to have longer playtimes with less eye strain.

In the ‘not currently aimed at VR, but will impact VR in a big way’ front, samsung also showcased an early lightfield display with really crisp resolution (there were no posted specs). The display allows you to have a true sense of depth in an image, complete with parallax. As you can see in the video below (to the best of our ability) as you translate the camera the image shifts in line, what you cannot see is how you can focus on different planes of depth naturally – something that lightfield displays will bring to the VR ballgame in upcoming years.

All of these advancements are promising for future generations of VR technology, and not just on the mobile side – Oculus also has access to Samsung’s display tech, so we could possibly see 4K (or higher) in the CV2. The future of VR is shaping up to be even brighter than Samsung’s own AMOLEDs.

Samsung “High Definition Display for VR” Specs: