If you want a professional-caliber monitor for photo or video editing, it’s almost certain you’ve looked at the likes of Dell and HP. Lesser-known display manufacturer Seiki is trying to sneak up on them, however, with two impressive and affordable 4K displays.
The headliner is of course the 40-inch model. Boasting the typical UltraHD resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, it provides significantly more real estate than even 32-inch competitors from Acer and Samsung. That results in significantly lower pixel density, of course, but Seiki hopes the sheer size of it will help you forgive what it lacks in sharpness.
Inputs include two HDMI and two DisplayPort, though only the latter can handle the display at 60Hz. That said, the HDMI ports can be useful when used in conjunction with the 40-incher’s quad picture-by-picture mode, which can display four 1080p desktops from four devices simultaneously. The stand adjusts for tilt and swivels, but does not adjust for height; however, it uses a VESA mount, so a different stand can be swapped in.
There’s also a 32-inch model that may, in the end, be more practical. It’s virtually identical to the 40-incher in every way except for size. It may prove an attractive budget alternative to Samsung’s excellent but expensive U32D970Q.
Budget is a priority for both models, so they use a Vertical Alignment panel. This technology tends to fall a bit short of the IPS panels the best displays use, but Seiki says it will let them hit a price point of around $1,000 for the 40-incher, which will launch within a few months. The 32-incher’s price is not yet announced, and it will launch in the second half of 2015.
