Intel believes 4K monitors could fall under $400 by the end of the year

The price of 4K monitors could fall to under $400 by the end of the this year, according to Intel. Monitors with 4K support display images at a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, four times the number of pixels found on 1080p high-definition monitors or TVs. The chip maker is working with ViewSonic and TPV to introduce budget monitors later this year, said Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group at Intel, during a news conference at the Computex trade show in Taipei.

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.