Samsung Shows Off A Tablet With One Of The Sharpest Displays Ever

SamsungSamsung has already made the jump to 4K, also known as "Ultra HD," in many of its high-end television sets. But now the South Korean electronics giant may also be ready to release at least one 4K tablet, too.

According to TechRadar, Samsung reportedly showed off a prototype of a 12-inch tablet with 4K resolution during a broadcast convention at the French Open in Paris. The tablet could only stream 720p video at the time, but the full potential of the tablet's resolution was demonstrated through some high-resolution still images.

It's important to note that this prototype tablet is only an internal unit for Samsung to conduct tests on, so don't expect a 4K tablet in the immediate future. It may, however, be unveiled and released by the end of the year.

The jump to Ultra HD makes sense for televisions, but the leap in resolution for the tablet industry might be a bit premature.

TVs are far larger than tablets, so when comparing, say, a 1080p HD TV to a 1080p HD tablet, the perceived resolution of the television will appear blurrier. Both displays have the same amount of pixels, but since a TV is larger with the same amount of pixels, each individual pixel is physically larger. This is the reason televisions were the first to make the jump to 4K Ultra HD: The increased resolution is easiest to see in larger displays. 4K computer monitors are starting to debut, too, but many would argue a 4K tablet is overkill at this point.

The biggest issue Samsung will face in bringing a 4K tablet to market is finding enough 4K content for people to enjoy. People use their tablets for streaming movies and TV shows, and Netflix only has one show streaming in 4K, "House of Cards," as well as a handful of nature documentaries.

It's likely Samsung is biding its time, waiting for more 4K content to be established before bringing a 4K tablet to consumers, but we now know it's at least capable of fitting such an impressive display into a 12-inch tablet.