Sharp has unveiled a new monitor powered by their ultra-thin IGZO technology that delivers an incredibly high resolution in a very sleek looking package. The professional-grade 32-inch (when measured diagonally, of course) PN-K321 display features a 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 but you'll need some pretty deep pockets if you want to bring one home (or, to the office).
When factoring in the screen size and resolution, what you end up with is a pixel density of 137PPI. As SlashGear notes, that's not quite as high as the 220PPI found on Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina Display but it's also more than twice as large.
The screen also includes DisplayPort and HDMI ports, we're told. Sharp says this will be the thinnest 4K monitor on the market, measuring just 35mm thick. That's largely thanks to the IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) technology named after the semiconducting material used to create it. This is the same process that Apple was rumored to be using on the iPhone 5 before it launched.
Sharp plans to use IGZO in a number of upcoming devices like tablets and smartphones. They will likely be showcasing the new monitor during the Consumer Electronics Show in January as it isn't expected to be released until sometime in February.
Interested parties will be asked to hand over $5,500 for the high-resolution display. We suspect it will take at least a couple of years before the technology reaches mainstream at which time pricing should come down considerably.