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iPhone 4 Retina Display matched by upcoming Sharp smartphone

Sharp has challenged Apple's smartphone display reign by announcing an Android smartphone with the same resolution and dimensions as the iPhone 4's Retina Display.

The Sharp IS03 will sport a 960 x 640 resolution on its 3.5-inch screen when it launches next month on Japan's KDDI au network, Engadget reports.

The new device will utilize the Sharp-developed Advanced Super View technology to improve the display's viewing angle. ASV is reportedly comparable to the In-Plane Switching technology used in the iPhone 4.

Sharp's new phone will have a 9.6 megapixel autofocus camera and will launch with the older 2.1 version of Android. The handset is currently slated for a Japan-only release.

It has taken Apple's competitors months to catch up to the iPhone 4 display. When the iPhone 4 was announced, it was billed as having "the highest resolution display ever in a phone." According to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the Retina Display has a resolution that is higher than "the limit of the human retina" at standard viewing levels.