Introduction

Walk into a cell phone store, grab a phone, and turn it on. Chances are your first impression of the phone will be based on the quality of the display. With many retail purchases decided from the first impression, the display choice made by a cell phone manufacturer can have a significant impact on the success of a particular model. The initial success of the iPhone from Apple with a high-resolution, 3.5” diagonal display has clearly made a statement about the importance of the display in a cell phone. However, with all design selections, trade-offs occur. The design choice to exclude a high-speed cellular data connection (e.g. W-CDMA or HSDPA) on the iPhone was likely influenced by the cost of the large, high-quality display.

At the other end of the spectrum, where consumers can’t afford or don’t want a $600 multi-media phone, a significant market exists for cell phones that are used solely as communication-only devices that don’t require a display that covers nearly all of the surface area of the phone. These “voice-only” phones, where the display merely shows number called or received and contact information, are typically purchased on price first and other factors such as the phone manufacturer and display quality second. With such a divergence in use models and market segments, it is no surprise that the cell phone display industry has responded to the demands of phone manufacturers with a variety of technologies, sizes, and resolutions.

Report Description

This report, based on Portelligent product teardowns, will show how the trends in cell phone displays have evolved over the last four years. The report will answer such critical questions as:

1. What percent of a cell phone bill-of-material is dedicated to the display and has the percent changed over time?

2. What type of display technologies are used in the various segments of the cell phone market and have the types changed over time?

3. How does the size and resolution of the displays vary by handset segment and are they increasing or decreasing over time?

4. What are recent announcements regarding cell phone display technology and what impact will they have on cell phones in the future?

Content

Table of Contents

Tables

Figures

1. Executive Summary

2. Portelligent IC BOM Segmentation Model

3. Definition of Terms

4. Key Findings

5. Display vs. Non-Display Bill-of-Materials

6. Primary Display Technology

7. Primary Display Size

8. Primary Display Resolution

9. Primary Display Pixel Density

10. Trends in Secondary Displays

11. Portelligent Technology Alert Service (TAS) - Display Notes

12. Phone Display Archetypes—Details

Tables

1: 2006 Cell Phone Archetype by IC BOM Segment

2: Image at Various Pixel Densities

Figures

1: IC BOM Segmentation Ranges 2003-2007

2: Display vs. Non-Display Bill-of-Materials

3: Display as a Percentage of Total Bill-of-Materials

4: Primary Display Technology Distribution

5: Primary Display Pixel Density by Technology

6: High and Ultra-high IC BOM Segment Primary Display Technology Distribution by Manufacturer

7: Primary Display Diagonal Dimension

8: Cell Phone Footprint L x W

9: Primary Display Resolution Distribution

10: Cell Phone Display Pixel Densities (Pixels per inch)

11: Secondary Display Technology Distribution

12: Secondary Display Diagonal Dimension

13: Secondary Display Resolution Distribution

14: Secondary Display Pixel Density (Pixels per inch)

15: Ultra-low Segment Phone Display—Bird S198+

16: Low Segment Phone Display—Tianyu B811

17: Mid Segment Phone Displays—Motorola RAZR V3i

18: High Segment Phone Displays—Samsung SGH-Z510

19: Ultra-high Segment Phone Displays—Nokia N93

Value

View us as a wide-angle lens on the personal electronics landscape. We don't replace your expertise and insight, but rather amplify your capabilities and knowledge. Quantitative and qualitative information resources let you answer business-critical questions:

• What enabling electronics technologies are being developed and how will they affect end-products?
• How are my competitors designing with new technologies?
• How does my company compare in competitive benchmarking?
• What technology opportunities are implied from trends in product implementation?
• How will the product features that users want affect our design and technology decisions?

Price

$4,500 Single Print Report Price - Call for Pricing with Database Extract and Three Teardown Reports

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