In 2015, global shipments of Ultra HD smartphones are forecast to reach 23 million, according to DisplaySearch. Ultra HD displays will account for more than 5% of smartphone shipments in North America and Japan in 2015, and just under 5% in western Europe.

　　Global smartphone shipments are expected to reach 1.2 billion in 2014. With a three year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13%, shipments will rise to 1.7 billion by 2017. Although entry-level smartphones priced below US$200 will account for 35% of total smartphone shipments in 2014, the average display resolution will continue to increase globally.

　　Global shipments of smartphones with HD and Full HD screens are forecast to reach 570 million in 2014 while wide quad HD smartphone shipments are expected to reach 41 million in 2014. AU Optronics (AUO), JDI, Samsung Display, and other panel makers already have wide quad HD displays in production, and applications processor and GPU (graphic processor unit) vendors have products ready to support and handle display resolutions beyond 1080p, the firm said.

　　"Market growth for smartphones with high definition screens is being fueled by increasingly affordable application processors, which along with increased production of high resolution smartphone displays are enabling brands to provide greater resolution and lower power consumption at lower prices," said Tina Teng, senior analyst for smartphones at DisplaySearch. "In the maturing smartphone ecosystem consumers can expect far better visual performance and improved gaming experience."