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Intel to deliver cheaper 4K monitors in partnership with Samsung

Intel has partnered with Samsung to get you a 4K monitor very soon, and at half the price you'd pay today.

Seamus Byrne Editor, Australia & Asia
Seamus Byrne is CNET's Editor for Australia and Asia. At other times he'll be found messing with apps, watching TV, building LEGO, and rolling dice. Preferably all at the same time.
Seamus Byrne
2 min read

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An Asus 28-inch 4K monitor, priced around US$799. Xiomara Blanco/CNET

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Why have people stopped upgrading desktops? Intel believes one key reason could be screen resolution. The company has announced at Computex that it is partnering with Samsung to drive 4K panel prices down to make ultra high-definition as attractive as possible.

Intel's research showed that, in 2013, 90 percent of monitors were still 1080p or lower in resolution. It's viable to connect up to three 4K monitors to a fourth generation Core PC, but until now 4K screens have been prohibitively expensive for all but serious enthusiasts or those who really need such resolutions for work in photography and video.

With a 4K panel delivering the equivalent of an eight megapixel image, Intel argues it's time to drive greater adoption in the mainstream market.

Intel is specifically partnering with Samsung to increase delivery on high-quality, 23.6-inch PLS 4K panels, with a stated aim of such monitors hitting a US$399 (£239, AU$430) price point. For Intel based All-in-Ones, Intel believes we will also see 4K All-in-One prices starting from US$999 (£599, AU$1,080). This is around half the typical current price of 4K IPS and PLS monitors. These PLS, or Plane to Line Switching, monitors are very high-quality, with 100 percent sRGB coverage and Technicolor certification.

Intel was careful not to be drawn on specific details of the partnership, and no availability timing was announced, saying only that it is a 'structured plan' to get ideal sized 4K monitors pushing at volume. This still suggests that, like Intel's past effort to bankroll touchscreens into speedy adoption by its partners and make such screens affordable to consumers, Intel may well be providing financial incentives or guarantees to give Samsung the confidence to increase production.