4K Vs. 8K HDMI Cables: Is There A Difference?

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With a wide range of electronics using the High-Definition Multimedia Interface or HDMI to send or receive audio and video signals, HDMI cables are among the most used cables in any household, only surpassed by USB cables. However, like many other modern standards, HDMI has changed quite a bit over the years, and the latest HDMI version – HDMI 2.2 – is capable of doing a lot more than HDMI 1.0. To deal with these improvements, HDMI cables have also improved. With most major HDMI versions, the HDMI Forum releases a new cable specification that can handle the needs of the new standard. For example, HDMI 2.2 introduced the Ultra96 HDMI Cable specification.

So, there are several different HDMI cables on the market, and more often than not, they are not referred to by their recommended names but by colloquial terms like 4K HDMI cable or 8K HDMI cable. Unfortunately, these terms typically don't tell much about the cable, leading to confusion in the minds of the buyers about whether they are buying the right cable. To tackle that, let's find out what 4K and 8K HDMI cables are and whether they are any different.

As mentioned, 4K and 8K HDMI cables are informal terms. These are typically used to describe any HDMI cable that can successfully carry a 4K or 8K video signal. However, they don't tell exactly which HDMI version specification the cable is manufactured to meet. For example, a so-called 4K HDMI cable could support HDMI 1.4, which was the first HDMI version to support 4K resolution, but was limited to a 4K 30Hz signal because of its 10.2 Gbps bandwidth. A prime example is this StarTech 4K HDMI Monitor Cable. Another HDMI cable marketed as a 4K HDMI cable could support HDMI 2.0, which is a newer version than HDMI 1.4 and has a higher bandwidth to support 4K 60Hz signals, among other features. The Highwings 4K HDMI Cable is one such example.

However, despite being called 4K HDMI cables, neither the cable supporting HDMI 1.4 nor 2.0 can handle 4K 120Hz signals sent by gaming consoles like the Sony PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X. Similarly, an 8K HDMI cable could support HDMI 2.1, which can transmit an 8K 60Hz signal, or HDMI 2.2, which is capable of handling 8K 120Hz signals. So, as you can see, 4K and 8K in the name can be rather misleading. One manufacturer can call a cable meeting the HDMI 2.1 specification a 4K HDMI cable, whereas another can refer to the same cord as an 8K HDMI cable, and both would be technically right. So, if not 4K or 8K HDMI cables, what should one look for while shopping for HDMI cables?

The most important identifier for an HDMI cable is branding recommended by HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. (HDMI LA), which is responsible for naming the official cables and managing their certification program. It has nine official names for HDMI cables supporting different capabilities, starting from Standard HDMI Cable and going all the way to the Ultra96 HDMI Cable. However, for the vast majority of buyers, the three HDMI cable names that really matter are Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable, Premium High Speed HDMI Cable, and High Speed HDMI Cable. Although the Ultra96 HDMI Cable is the newest, you'll be hard-pressed to find hardware supporting it. The Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable was announced alongside the HDMI 2.1 specification and can handle a bandwidth of 48Gbps, allowing it to send 8K 60Hz and 4K 120Hz signals — sufficient for most needs.

The Premium High Speed HDMI Cable is designed to support a bandwidth of 18Gbps and up to 4K 60Hz signals, which is suitable for 4K HDR video streaming and non-high-refresh-rate gaming. The High Speed HDMI Cable is limited to a bandwidth of 10.2Gbps, and is most suitable for 4K 30Hz and 1080p 60Hz signals, i.e., for content consumption. You can look for these official cable names while shopping. Unfortunately, some manufacturers don't use these names because they can't use them without the official certification. So, in the absence of the official name, the next best thing is to identify the cable bandwidth, such as 10.2Gbps, 18Gbps, or 48Gbps, and match it with the official nomenclature.