Seiki launches 39in 4K TV for $699

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Following in the footsteps of the $1500 50in 4K TV, the cut-price Seiki TV looks set to be joined by 65in later this year

Seiki has launched a 39in $699 4K TV in the US, the cheapest 4K Ultra HD resolution television currently available.

The 39 inch TV (model name SE39UY04) is set to go on sale at the end of June, having been revealed at the CE Week Line Shows in New York, though pre-orders have opened today.

Listed on the Sears website, the 39in 4K TV appears as on sale for just £534.01 when accessing the US site from the UK, though it's "not available for international shipping".

We covered the $1500 50in Seiki 4K TV back in May but it seems the brand, which has a US HQ but is part of Chinese company Tongfang Global, wants to drive 4K TVs even cheaper.

We can't vouch for the quality of the screens – nor has a UK release date or price for any Seiki TV been confirmed – but it will certainly give consumers and manufacturers alike pause for thought in the fledgling 4K Ultra HD TV market.

The Sony KD-65X9005A is the cheapest, smallest 4K TV that we've reviewed so far but still weighs in at £6000 for the 65in screen.

MORE: Why 4K TV won't solve the big TV companies' problems

Seiki claims to deliver "a great TV, without the nonsense", eschewing Smart TV and 3D, claiming punters just want to sit back and watch TV. And clearly removing these features allows the company to keep the price down.

Seiki also cites "sheer volume" as a way of keeping prices down, at the same time as saying it uses the "most advanced panels and the legendary performance of Yamaha amplifiers to power our speakers".

The Seiki 39 inch 4K TV features digital and analogue tuners, two USB inputs for displaying pictures and "multiple video and audio connections" including three HDMI inputs.

It's questionable how useful the 4096 x 2160 resolution will be on a 39in TV – but at $700, we're sure plenty of US punters will be tempted to find out.

Pre-orders for the Seiki SE39UY04 $699 4K TV opened today via Sears in the US.

The cut-price 4K TV comes as the bigger companies', such as Samsung, reportedly consider ramping up 4K UHD TV production at the expense of OLED TV development due to strong interest in 4K TV.

MORE: Sony 65in 4K TV review

by Joe Cox

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Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).