3 Amazon HDMI Cables To Buy And 2 To Skip

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There are two main differences when it comes to HDMI cables. There are 4K cables, and then there are 8K cables, and for most people, you're really only going to need a 4K cable unless you're playing games at 4K and 120 Hz or actually own an 8K screen. Of course, even with 4K cables, there are different bandwidths to choose from, like 10.2 Gbps, which limits your 4K content to 30 Hz (HDMI 1.4), and 18 Gbps, which is faster and supports 60 Hz at 4K (HDMI 2.0). Then there are the 8K cables that offer 48 Gbps (HDMI 2.1), which can future-proof your HDMI cable needs, but since 8K cables are already under $15, it's probably not worth overthinking.

With so many cables to choose from, it's challenging to know which manufacturers are the most reputable. This is why Amazon's customer review system comes in clutch, with actual user experience shedding light on how well a product like an HDMI cable works and lasts. By combining this firsthand user information with insights from reputable sites, forums, and direct accounts across social media, we get a clearer image of how well a product has been received. Add to that our own expertise on how HDMI gear gets used in the real world, like clever uses for your HDMI ports, and you'll have a broad perspective on which HDMI cables are worth buying and which to skip.

Like most HDMI cables, the Monoprice 4K High Speed HDMI Cable does offer a few different sizes, but in order to make things simple and pricing comparable, we will be sticking with 6-foot cables across all brands. This particular line of cable from Monoprice is HDMI 2.0, which means it offers an 18 Gbps bandwidth for 4K video up to 60 Hz. It also sports gold-plated connectors (known for reducing corrosion) and even includes built-in ferrite cores with its 28 AWG copper wire to reduce interference from high-frequency emissions. Good shielding is important, which goes hand in hand with build quality. With the molded connectors and stress relief boots, you won't have to worry about this HDMI cable splitting from prolonged plugging and unplugging over its lifetime, because yes, HDMI cables can go bad.

Customer reviews on Amazon are very positive, with 72% of 446 reviews at 5 stars. Many of these users mention a sturdy build with clear picture and sound. You'll also find a similar customer sentiment on Monoprice's own store. The brand even gets a lot of mentions in a popular Reddit post asking, "What cables are people generally using?" The top-upvoted comment mentions they had good luck with Monoprice. Overall, the consensus is that Monoprice is a trustworthy manufacturer with a solid track record, and that this particular 4K High Speed HDMI Cable does its job well, all while being built to last. For around $7, you can't go wrong. If you need a new HDMI cable for watching content up to 4K at 60 Hz, after considering all of the available information, the Monoprice 4K High Speed HDMI Cable is, in our opinion, worth buying.

At first blush, the Amazon Basics HDMI Cable looks like an alright choice with a high review score and hundreds of thousands of positive reviews. But once you start digging into the brand, you'll find many users complain the cables can be "hit or miss." Since this is an HDMI 2.0 cable that offers 18 Gbps bandwidth for 4K video up to 60 Hz, much like the Monoprice cable above, it sounds pretty good on paper. Sadly, in practice, a few shortcomings hold it back. However, with an 82% 5-star review score out of nearly 561,000 user reviews, it is clear that the vast majority don't have any issues at all, with many praising how well the cable works with their 4K TV and gaming console.

Despite its lower price at just over $4, there are multiple recent reports about HDCP problems and issues with LG and Apple TVs that keep this cable from being recommended. You can find similar user reports on Reddit, and it appears to be an issue going back years, judging by the age of the complaints. So, depending on your media center setup, you could be one of the unlucky few who have issues like the picture flickering or cutting out. While the money saved by going with this very affordable option could be worth it, it's still a bit of a gamble, making this HDMI cable a skip when options exist with fewer complaints.

One of the highest-rated HDMI cables on Amazon is the PowerBear 4K HDMI Cable, with 83% of its 85,000-plus reviews at 5 stars. This is another HDMI 2.0 cable, which means it supports video up to 4K 60 Hz with an 18 Gbps transfer speed and is backwards-compatible with previous HDMI standards down to 1.3. While there is no ferrite core built into the cable like the Monoprice, the 30 AWG copper wire is triple tin-shielded to help eliminate EMI and RFI interference. Build quality is another high point, thanks to gold tips for a reliable, corrosion-free connection, a braided cable that helps protect the cord, and a sleeving known for its durability over non-braided cables.

Of course, fancier materials, like the braided sleeving, do push the price ever so slightly higher than the Monoprice, clocking in at $9.99. But if you want some style with your cable while also demanding extra longevity, a braided cable will fit this niche nicely. Plus, this cable often goes on sale, so it can be easily had for less, bringing it close to the cost of cables without braided sleeving. This explains why PowerBear is a favored brand amongst users outside of Amazon, like on Reddit, where a user notes it's "pretty handy" for different A/V setups. You'll also find users on YouTube who agree the brand makes durable cables. So, whether you look at new or older experiences, there is consensus: PowerBear is a noteworthy brand, and this particular cable offers both style and function in one package.

The Highwings 8K HDMI Cable may look sleek with its rounded, gold-plated connectors and braided cable, but it would appear that some issues lurk beneath the surface. Unlike the last three HDMI 2.0 cables in this roundup, this Highwings is an HDMI 2.1 cable offering a 48 Gbps transfer speed that supports video output up to 8K 60 Hz (or 4K 120 Hz). On paper, this sounds like an ideal cable that would future-proof your needs, barely costing more than the previous generation of HDMI 2.0 cables at $13.99 — but there are a few user-reported issues that make this a skip.

When you dig through the cable's Amazon user ratings, you'll also see there is a higher-than-average 1-star score at 5% of its 1,400-plus reviews, which is a higher percentage than its 2-star and 3-star ratings. Worse, these 1-star reviews are fairly recent, all complaining of similar issues with device compatibility and build quality, with users reporting broken cable ends and buggy support for Apple TV. This recent spike in quality issues should give you pause, at least until they aren't reported as often. You'll also find similar sentiment on Reddit, though by-and-large the brand is praised on social media, with YouTubers rating its HDMI cables positively. So it would seem there isn't much history of issues, but at the end of the day, it's best to wait for the brand to sort out whatever problem it's currently having with its recent 1-star review spike on Amazon.

Rather than taking a gamble on the Highwings, if you absolutely need an HDMI 2.1 cable that can play 8K 60 Hz (or 4K 240 Hz) video, say for a high-end gaming setup, then the Ugreen HDMI 2.1 Cable Certified 8K is a great choice. Not only is this one of the best three HDMI cables you can buy thanks to its low cost and high reliability, but it's also the highest-rated cable on today's list, with 87% of its 13,000-plus user ratings at 5 stars. For a cable priced at $11.99, the value is hard to beat, especially when you consider this is an HDMI 2.1 cable that is priced close to the 2.0 cables above. Talk about bang for your buck, complete with braided nylon sleeving and nickel-plated connectors (fancy indeed).

What really sets this HDMI cable apart is how well it reportedly works across devices, with Amazon users noting support for Apple TV 4K as well as the Xbox Series X, two devices cables like the Highwings 8K have notably struggled with. So if you absolutely need a cable that will work for your 4K streaming and gaming needs, with some future-proofing thanks to its 8K support, you can't go wrong with this Ugreen HDMI 2.1 Certified 8K cable. Users on Reddit agree that the brand is reliable, and even YouTube teardowns have shown that the components used by the brand are of quality. Yes, this HDMI 2.1 cable costs slightly more than the HDMI 2.0 cables on the list, but you gain a much faster transfer speed that'll remain handy for future devices.

To reach a conclusion on which HDMI cables are worth buying and which should be skipped, we've combined sources from storefronts, forums, and social media, along with our own research. By digging through user reviews across the web, while looking for oddities like spikes in low scores or repeated call-outs on social media, a fuller picture forms, allowing us to better pinpoint which HDMI cables offer a history of delivering quality reliably across the wide swath of devices on the market that are compatible with the High-Definition Multimedia Interface standard.