C-Seed, the Austrian company behind the mind-boggling and crazy-expensive 137-inch folding MicroLED TV that took trade show exhibitions by storm back in 2022, has announced a new iteration of the concept, inspired by Bugatti.
It’s called the C SEED BUGATTI N1, and it’s styled after the sleek and beautiful Bugatti Tourbillon supercar that’s so beloved by European multimillionaires. In case you’re thinking it's a car that somehow transforms into a TV, sadly that’s probably still impossible. Rather, it’s an updated version of the original folding MicroLED TV that sports a side profile that mimics the C-line design that makes Bugatti’s luxury vehicles so aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Similar to its predecessor, the C SEED BUGATTI N1 looks like some kind of luxurious decorative furniture piece when it’s folded up, made out of deluxe materials like carbon fibre and aluminium, with the addition of that exquisite, Buggati-inspired styling. But switch it on, and it suddenly unfurls itself to become a stunning 110-inch or 137-inch 4K MicroLED TV that’s guaranteed to impress whoever sets foot into your living room.
The TV includes an integrated Wisdom Audio sound system that’s hidden within the structure. The speakers unfold and extend outwards when activated, and disappear when it’s time for the TV to tuck itself away.
Like the original C SEED N1, the price bracket is almost certainly very much in the sky-high range – so high, in fact, that if you have to ask, you definitely can’t afford to buy it. The company has not revealed the cost of the C SEED BUGATTI N1, but the first model came with a £229,000 price tag, and there was an earlier concept of a Porsche-inspired model that was rumoured to cost around $400,000 (£298,000), so we imagine they’ll be asking for something around that ballpark. In other words, it’s a Bugatti-inspired TV that’s strictly for people who can actually aspire to buy a real Bugatti.
Nonetheless, it’s an absolutely beautiful sight to behold. You can see how the TV’s “sculptural sideboard” unfolds to reveal five MicroLED panels that upright themselves vertically before sliding together to form a single giant screen in this video:
C-Seed also claims that it has solved one of the most common issues with folding displays, which is the visible seam between the panels and the visual inconsistencies that sometimes occur. These things are especially noticeable on smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, but C-Seed says its Adaptive Gap Calibration technology allows it to place the panels together so tightly that the joins are all but invisible.
The company posted some of the TV’s specifications, including the fact that it reaches 1,000 nits peak brightness, has a 30,000:1 native contrast ratio and an absurd refresh rate of 3,840Hz, while the integrated sound system has a frequency range of 60Hz to 20,000Hz. Surprisingly though, on the back there are three HDMI 2.0 ports rather than HDMI 2.1, which will likely disappoint any multimillionaire gamers out there.
The vast majority of consumers won’t be able to afford the C SEED BUGATTI N1 in a million years, but if you happen to already have a Bugatti Tourbillon knocking around your garage, the idea of a folding TV to go with it may not be so far-fetched. Hence, it’s being targeted at “discerning customers” globally via the company’s worldwide partner network. If you’re interested, check out the accompanying brochure, which can be downloaded here.
