Intel and Samsung team up for 4K all-in-one PC display panels
Intel and Samsung have partnered up to manufacture Ultra high resolution display panels for 4K all-in-one PCs, with the first systems expected to cost less than $1,000
Intel has announced a partnership with Samsung’s display division to produce Ultra HD resolution display panels for all-in-one PCs, bringing 4K to a wider audience. Currently, there are very few all-in-one PCs with greater than 1080p resolution screens, with Apple’s iMac being the main exception. That is still limited to 2560×1440, however; under the new partnership, native 4K panels will soon be making their way to Windows-based AIOs – and for significantly less than the 4K monitors currently on sale.
According to Intel, Samsung Display will be selling the panels for around $399 to manufacturers – much less than the current price of 4K panels. Whereas you could end up paying somewhere in the region of $2,500 for a 4K all-in-one today, you’ll soon be able to pick one up and have change from $1,000. Even before taking taxes and VAT into account, that could mean a complete PC capable of UHD playback for under £700.
These won’t be basic panels, either – despite the low price. Intel is promising 60Hz refresh rates, 100% sRGB colour gamut coverage and Technicolor certification, along with a UHD resolution. The 23.6in panels will use PLS technology, which is Samsung’s variant of IPS, and should hopefully mean excellent viewing angles as well as great colour reproduction.
Naturally, we can’t comment on image quality until we actually see the panels in the flesh and get to test them out, but if it comes close to matching Dell’s fantastic UP2414q for less than half the price, we can’t see much reason to stick with “just” 1080p for much longer.
All-in-one PCs aren’t renowned for their graphics performance, and 4K video takes some serious processing power in order to play smoothly, but Intel is confident its latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors can handle the job. However, it’s highly likely they will struggle with any kind of gaming at such high resolutions.
With cheaper panels available to manufacturers, Intel is predicting that 4K all-in-one PCs will soon be on sale for $999. Several companies are expected to reveal their own designs during Computex this week, and we’ll be sure to report which are the ones to keep an eye on in the hope of a UK release.