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Oct 22, 2023

2 Cheap, Great HDMI Cables of 2023

We’ve tested several Ultra High Speed HDMI cables and added the Monoprice 8K

We’ve tested several Ultra High Speed HDMI cables and added the Monoprice 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable as our recommendation.

If your current HDMI cables are working fine, keep them. But if you’ve recently upgraded to a 4K TV or source and your HDMI cable no longer passes audio or video signals reliably, we recommend the Monoprice 4K Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable. This cable is certified to deliver 4K high dynamic range (HDR) video at 60 Hz, which is all that most people need to watch movies and TV shows. For PC and console gamers who require even more bandwidth, we have cable recommendations for that, too.

This inexpensive but well-built Monoprice HDMI cable is available in many lengths and handles 4K HDR video with no issues.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $8.

The Monoprice 4K Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable is a great cable for connecting a 4K TV to most HD and Ultra HD sources (such as a cable or satellite box, a Blu-ray player, a media streamer, or an older game console). As the name suggests, this cable is certified by HDMI Licensing Administrator to pass 4K HDR signals, with a bandwidth up to 18 gigabits per second. In our tests, the Monoprice 4K cable passed even higher bandwidths than that, even though it's not certified to do so. It is available with free shipping and a lifetime warranty, in lengths from 3 to 30 feet. Monoprice's Certified Premium cables are also available in a slimmer style, in sizes from 1 to 8 feet. So whether you need a short, skinny cable or a longer length to make your installation work, Monoprice likely has an inexpensive option that will do the job.

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Most people don't need Ultra High Speed HDMI cables, but if you own the latest gaming consoles or you plan to buy an 8K TV, we recommend this Monoprice 8K cable.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14.

Although our top pick will suffice for most people, hardcore gamers and 8K TV owners may need an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, which is capable of transmitting higher resolutions and frame rates at a bandwidth up to 48 Gbps. You don't need that much bandwidth just to pass 4K HDR movies and TV shows between a TV and source device. But the Sony PlayStation 5, the Microsoft Xbox Series X, and high-end gaming PCs are capable of outputting 4K video at 120 frames per second (or 4K 120 Hz), which requires more bandwidth. If you have one of these devices—as well as one of the few TVs that can accept this higher-bandwidth signal—you need an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable. Likewise, if you’ve purchased (or plan to purchase) an 8K TV and want to make sure your cables are ready for future 8K sources, you might want to go ahead and upgrade your cables.

Fortunately, Ultra High Speed HDMI cables don't cost that much more than regular HDMI cables. In our testing, the 6-foot Monoprice 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable worked perfectly, and Monoprice offers free shipping and a lifetime warranty. It's also available in lengths of 1.5, 3, and 8 feet. There were no performance differences between the Monoprice and the other Ultra High Speed HDMI cables we tested (nor should there be), so any of them would be a fine choice.

This inexpensive but well-built Monoprice HDMI cable is available in many lengths and handles 4K HDR video with no issues.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $8.

Most people don't need Ultra High Speed HDMI cables, but if you own the latest gaming consoles or you plan to buy an 8K TV, we recommend this Monoprice 8K cable.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14.

In addition to being the editor at large for Wirecutter, I’ve reviewed and written about HDMI extensively for CNET, Forbes, and several other outlets. I’ve also interviewed multiple cable manufacturers and representatives of HDMI Licensing Administrator, the organization in charge of the HDMI specification.

Senior staff writer Chris Heinonen, who has reviewed TVs and home theater equipment since 2008 and is an ISF Level II–certified calibrator, performed additional cable testing.

If your entertainment system is still rocking basic HD sources such as a cable or satellite box, a Blu-ray player, or a streaming media player, and your current HDMI cables are working fine, you don't need to buy new cables. There's no performance boost to be had.

But if you have bought new 4K gear or are planning on buying new 4K gear, you might need new cables. Depending on when you bought your cables, and how well made they are, they might work with 4K video and maybe even high dynamic range (HDR) video. Or they might not. The only way to find out is to test them: Set your 4K source—say, an Apple TV or a PlayStation game console—to output 4K HDR to your TV. If you don't get an image, you probably need new cables.

Passing a 4K HDR video signal between a TV and a source requires more data than passing 720p or 1080p HD video. To do so reliably, you need at least a High Speed HDMI cable. The "High Speed" designation means that the cable is rated to deliver at least 18 Gbps of bandwidth; that's ample bandwidth for movies and TV shows, which generally appear at a frame rate of 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. An "Ultra High Speed" designation means that the HDMI cable is rated to pass an even higher bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which is currently necessary only for certain gaming sources that can output a 120 fps frame rate.

The longer the cable, or the less well made it is, the less likely it will work with higher resolutions, even if it worked with 1080p. Though this is not a perfect analogy, think of the problem as trying to force too much water through a pipe that's too small: A "1080p" amount of water works fine, but the "2160p" amount of water required for 4K can't fit through the pipe and allow the TV to display the image.

You may also see the words "HDMI 2.0" or "HDMI 2.1" on a cable's packaging and marketing materials. This label does not refer to a type of cable. Instead, it relates to specific features and capabilities in HDMI-equipped TVs and sources. Despite the nominal numerical change, HDMI 2.1 represents a huge increase in features and capability over HDMI 2.0, including resolution capacity up to 10K, higher potential frame rates, eARC, and gaming-friendly features such as automatic low-latency mode and adaptive frame rate. You can read more about HDMI 2.1 in our blog post about 8K TV.

8K is the hot, new feature on TVs and home theater gear, but do you really need to upgrade your gear right now? For most people, the answer is no.

To take advantage of HDMI 2.1 features, you need TVs and sources that support them. Many of the latest TVs support some HDMI 2.1 features but not necessarily all of them. Few support the higher bandwidth necessary for gaming (see our recommendations of the best TVs for video games). With the exception of the two newest gaming consoles or a high-end PC, there are no sources right now that output the higher resolutions and frame rates that require Ultra High Speed HDMI cables.

A High Speed HDMI cable can pass a lot of HDMI 2.1 features (if both the TV and source support them), but only an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable is guaranteed to pass the higher resolutions and frame rates possible with HDMI 2.1.

HDMI cables either work or they don't. It's not possible, due to how they function, for different HDMI cables with the same speed rating to deliver varying picture or sound quality. (See the Additional science and testing section for more on this subject.) A well-built cable is likely to deliver AV signals more reliably than a poorly built cable, especially over longer runs, but more expensive HDMI cables do not offer any AV performance advantage over cheap cables of the same type. All that is to say, a $100 HDMI cable that successfully passes 4K signals produces results that look and sound the same as what you get from a $10 HDMI cable that successfully passes 4K signals.

With that in mind, we knew that we could greatly simplify our criteria for what models to call in and test. We looked for cables that were rated as High Speed or Ultra High Speed, were easy to get, came from reputable companies, and preferably had lifetime warranties.

For our initial testing of High Speed cables in 2015, we brought in 3- and 15-foot cables, testing them on equipment including a Denon AVR-S930H receiver and a JVC DLA-RS440 4K projector with an Oppo UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player as the 4K HDR source. In 2018 Chris Heinonen expanded our testing further, using a Murideo Six-G generator and Six-A analyzer to double-check that all the cables could handle the 18 Gbps required for 4K HDR video. (They all could.)

More expensive HDMI cables do not offer any AV performance advantage over cheap cables.

To test Ultra High Speed cables for our most recent update, we used an Xbox Series X game console running at 4K 120 Hz (with variable refresh rate enabled) and a GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card operating at the same resolution and refresh rate. We used TVs from LG, Samsung, and Vizio that had Ultra High Speed HDMI inputs, and we played games for a while using each cable. All the cables we tested that were rated for 48 Gbps worked perfectly in our tests—and the 18 Gbps Monoprice 4K cable also worked fine in this setup. The cables we used in these tests were around 6 feet in length.

We didn't test any cables longer than 15 feet for this guide, but we do have some recommendations based on personal experience in the "Our pick" section.

This inexpensive but well-built Monoprice HDMI cable is available in many lengths and handles 4K HDR video with no issues.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $8.

The inexpensive Monoprice 4K Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable performed perfectly in our testing, and it's certified to handle resolutions up to 4K at 60 Hz, the most common resolution and refresh rate for modern TVs and sources. The cost includes shipping, and the cable has a lifetime warranty—so if something goes wrong, you can get it replaced. If you need very long or short cables to make your setup work, this cable comes in lengths ranging from 3 to 30 feet. For a little extra money, Monoprice offers a thinner version, as well.

The "Certified Premium" label means that these cables are guaranteed to work with 4K HDR video. Or as HDMI Licensing Administrator describes it, "The [Certified Premium] program is designed to give end users confidence when purchasing new HDMI cables for their 4K/UltraHD products that may include features such as 4K@60Hz, BT.2020 and HDR." Certification doesn't mean that the cables work better than non-certified cables, just that they’ve gone through an additional testing stage so their maker can market them as Certified Premium and therefore imply that they work. We tested them anyway, and they passed.

The Monoprice 4K Certified Premium cable is a bit thick and doesn't bend easily. Depending on your setup, a thinner, easier-to-bend cable might be preferable. In that case, the Monoprice 4K Slim Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable is available in lengths of 1 to 8 feet. It is slightly more expensive, but it's also a lot thinner and easier to manage in tight spaces.

We didn't test particularly long cables for this guide, but Monoprice makes several series built to handle long distances. I have 40- and 50-foot versions of Monoprice's DynamicView Active High Speed HDMI Cables in my lab, and they handle 4K HDR video just fine. Monoprice also sells HDMI-to-optical cables that run over 300 feet, and Monoprice claims these cables can handle 18 Gbps. The company has even more expensive versions that can handle 48 Gbps, too, but such extreme lengths are beyond the scope of this guide.

If you want to skip long wires altogether, check out our guide to the best wireless HDMI video transmitter. Keep in mind, though, that currently no wireless HDMI transmitter can pass an HDR signal and only a few can handle 4K, so we don't recommend them for anyone who wants to watch 4K HDR video.

Most people don't need Ultra High Speed HDMI cables, but if you own the latest gaming consoles or you plan to buy an 8K TV, we recommend this Monoprice 8K cable.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14.

All of the Ultra High Speed cables we tested performed as expected, but we chose the Monoprice 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable for its lifetime warranty and free shipping. Plus, Monoprice has been making inexpensive but high-quality HDMI cables for a long time, and we are confident in recommending them. That said, you likely don't need this cable unless you own an 8K TV and want to future-proof your system or you’re a gamer who owns a console or PC that can output higher-bandwidth signals to a TV that supports those signals.

"Ultra High Speed" is the newest classification of HDMI cable. Such cables are designed to handle bit rates to 48 Gbps, up from the 18 Gbps of High Speed HDMI cables like our top pick. The only devices that currently take advantage of this extra bandwidth are Sony's PlayStation 5, Microsoft's Xbox Series X, and PC video cards that can display 4K at 120 frames per second. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles both come with an Ultra High Speed cable in the box, and those cables worked fine in our test setup—but if you need one of a different length or have a compatible AV receiver or other device between your source and your TV, you might need additional cables.

Keep in mind that you also need a TV capable of taking advantage of this higher frame rate. Most TVs, even those a few years old that claim a "120 Hz" rate, can't. See our guide to the best TV for video games for more.

The LG C2's comprehensive set of gaming features and excellent picture quality make it our pick for the best gaming TV.

In addition to the Monoprice 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable and the cables that came with the gaming consoles, we tested the Cable Matters Premium Braided 48Gbps Ultra HD 8K HDMI Cable and the Anker Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable. We were not surprised to find that all of them worked perfectly in our tests.

However, we were a little surprised to find that our top pick, the Monoprice 4K Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable, also performed flawlessly in these tests. The 3-, 6-, and 8-foot cables worked at 4K 120 Hz—without any sync issues or sparkles—with all of our sources and TVs. So if you already have one or more of those HDMI cables, you might not need to replace them even if you upgrade your gaming console and TV. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell if they’ll work just by looking at the cables themselves; you’ll need to test them on your own gear. If the TV says it's getting a 4K 120 Hz signal, you’re good to go.

But if you do need new cables, the Monoprice 8K Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable is available in lengths from 1.5 to 8 feet and has a lifetime warranty, which is a big reason we made it our upgrade pick.

The AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable was originally our top recommendation in this guide, primarily because it was slightly cheaper than the Monoprice 4K cable and came with free shipping for Prime subscribers. Now that Monoprice offers free shipping for everyone, the prices are more comparable. This AmazonBasics cable isn't Certified Premium, but it performed perfectly well in our tests. A newer, Certified Premium version (which we have not tested) is slightly more expensive than the Monoprice pick and is available in lengths from 3 to 15 feet.

The Anker Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable was a little more flexible than the other Ultra High Speed cables we tested, and it was the only one to carry the HDMI certification logo on its packaging, which might account for its slightly higher price over the Monoprice 8K cable. We saw no difference in performance between the two, but the Anker cable has a shorter, 18-month warranty, and during our testing period we saw more stock and availability issues on this model. If you feel more comfortable using only certified cables, this one is up to the task.

The Cable Matters Premium Braided 48Gbps Ultra HD 8K HDMI Cable was the lowest-priced Ultra High Speed cable we tested, and it performed just as reliably as the Monoprice and Anker cables. But the warranty is vague; we had to email Cable Matters to get the warranty info and were told that this cable has a "limited lifetime warranty" with no further explanation offered. In addition, the cable is available only in silver, not black, so it drew more attention to itself in our gear rack—but that really comes down to personal preference.

Before you run HDMI (or any wires) through your walls:

Make sure to thoroughly check how well your cable works with your gear before you run it through your walls. This may sound obvious, but you might be shocked (and saddened) by how many emails I get from people who didn't do this.

Also check your local building codes in case you need to run conduit. One option is Monoprice's Commercial Series cable, which is CL2 rated to run in the wall, supports a speed of 18 Gbps, and comes in lengths up to 50 feet.

You can find countless HDMI cables that range in price from "a lot" to "are you kidding me."

Going through each brand and cable isn't necessary, as there are only two claims these cables make to justify their prices, and both are easily refuted.

1. Better picture and/or sound quality: As we discussed earlier, this isn't possible. The only way a cable could make your content look or sound better is if it actually changed the data flowing across it. Not only is that impossible, but if any of the data going across somehow got changed, the only two possible results at the TV end would be sparkles (an effect, quite noticeable, due to a pixel dropping out) or the entire image dropping out. The image can't look sharper (or softer), brighter (or dimmer), or more colorful (or muted). This would mean huge aspects of the image have changed, and HDMI cables just don't work like that. It would be like saying a better Ethernet cable changes what your emails say. Same idea.

The only exception to this otherwise absolute fact is if two cables are rated differently. A cable whose label claims it can do only 18 Gbps probably can't send the amount of data that a cable rated for 48 Gbps can. The 48 Gbps cable is just a larger "pipe," so to speak. Or to put it all another way, a 1-inch pipe carries the same amount of water as any other 1-inch pipe—but if your water heater has only a ½-inch nozzle, a bigger pipe running to it won't make any difference. But two cables that can both transmit 48 Gbps will produce results that look the same.

There are people all over the internet who claim to have seen huge improvements after switching to expensive HDMI cables. Objectively, this isn't possible.

Over longer runs, the signal can degrade, but that doesn't mean the image itself degrades. There is no linear correlation between signal quality and picture quality. This isn't analog. That isn't how HDMI cables work. The image will look perfect, regardless of the signal strength, up to the point where dropouts or sparkles happen. After that, there's nothing. Before that, it's perfect.

There are people all over the internet who claim to have seen huge improvements after switching to expensive HDMI cables. Objectively, this isn't possible. There are any number of possibilities regarding what's going on (different settings, confirmation bias, HDMI cable company employees).

2. Better made: The other common boast is that more expensive HDMI cables are better made, a claim that implies they’ll last longer. Whether that's true is actually pretty irrelevant. Monoprice, for example, has a lifetime warranty on its cables, so even if one breaks, you can get a new one.

Even if that weren't true, and let's say for some reason the $8 HDMI cable you buy lasts only two years (it will likely last longer) and you need to replace it, you’ve spent $16 total. How is a $100 HDMI cable that lasts four years a better deal?

No one has researched and written more about HDMI cables than I have. Since 2011, my "Why all HDMI cables are the same" series of articles at CNET have had millions of pageviews and have been heavily scrutinized. If you want additional objective testing, here are a few great sources worth reading.

Audioholics did a massive article years ago testing long HDMI cables. Some advice there is a touch dated, but the core of the science is still sound: "I have to come away saying that most cables under 4-5 meters will pass just about anything in today's arsenal of 1080p." Or if you prefer a shorter, more succinct version, look to the slightly more recent "The Truth vs Hype about Expensive HDMI Cables" and its analysis: "So, does a $10 HDMI cable make your system look or sound different from a $100 or $1,000 cable? The short answer is ‘Absolutely not.’"

Expert Reviews's "Expensive HDMI cables make no difference and here's why" is a great article with some awesomely extensive objective testing.

Eurogamer did a similar test, comparing the actual output frames: "[T]he conclusion is that you can run any HDMI cable - no matter how cheap - and get identical results." The writer continues, "[T]he important thing to point out is that there is no real parallel with the world of analogue cables."

Here's a reference in Popular Mechanics in "Brand-Name HDMI Cables: Are They Worth It?": "The fact is, HDMI is digital, meaning you either get the feed or you don't. High prices and gimmicks like gold-plating don't affect 1s and 0s. Our advice: Purchase your wiring online for cheap, and use the saved money to upgrade to a larger flat screen."

PCMag tested 12 cables of different lengths using a Murideo Six-G signal generator and found that most of them, including several Monoprice models, had no issues with 4K/60 HDR.

And although this is another article of mine, it shows all the hands-on testing I did leading up to the first CNET article. "The fact is, below 50 feet, performance is going to be a LOT more uniform. In other words, you’ll have more cables that will work on everything. As such, it's even more likely that a cheap cable will perform the same as their more expensive counterparts. At short distances (under 10 feet), like we’ve always said, there's not going to be any difference."

Buying Guide, HDMI Licensing Administrator

Geoffrey Morrison, Why all HDMI cables are the same, CNET, October 11, 2012

Geoffrey Morrison, Still more reasons why all HDMI cables are the same, CNET, October 29, 2012

Nathan Spendelow and Katharine Byrne, Expensive HDMI cables make no difference and here's why, Expert Reviews, January 13, 2020

Clint DeBoer, Long HDMI Cables Bench Tests, Audioholics, July 8, 2008

Marshall Guthrie, The Truth vs Hype about Expensive HDMI Cables, Audioholics, December 23, 2013

Richard Leadbetter, Digital Foundry vs. HDMI video, Eurogamer, January 30, 2012

Seth Porges, Brand-Name HDMI Cables: Are They Worth It?, Popular Mechanics, January 1, 2008

Will Greenwald, Slaying the Cable Monster: What You Need to Know About HDMI Cables, PCMag, January 27, 2021

Geoffrey Morrison

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