The first certified HDMI 2.2 Ultra96 cables have reached the market, promising up to 96Gbps of bandwidth – double the maximum offered by HDMI 2.1.

Chinese accessories brand Silkland has opened orders for its H96 series, with a two-metre cable priced at US$32.99 (around A$49) and a three-metre version costing US$56 (A$84). Shipments are expected to begin in early October.

Japanese manufacturer Elecom has also announced certified Ultra96 cables, although these are not expected to ship until mid-November.

HDMI 2.2, which was finalised in June 2025, significantly increases the bandwidth available for high-resolution displays. It can support uncompressed 4K video at 240Hz and 8K at 60Hz with full colour information.

Using Display Stream Compression, the specification can stretch to 4K at 480Hz, 8K at 240Hz or 16K at 60Hz. It also introduces the Latency Indication Protocol, designed to improve audio and video synchronisation when receivers and soundbars are connected.

However, consumers have little reason to rush out and buy an Ultra96 cable.

No current television, monitor, games console or graphics card can use HDMI 2.2’s full bandwidth.

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50-series and AMD’s Radeon RX 9000-series remain limited to HDMI 2.1b, while compatible hardware is not expected before 2027.

The new cables remain backward-compatible with existing HDMI equipment, but will not improve picture quality or refresh rates unless both connected devices support the higher-bandwidth standard.

Buyers should also check the certification label and QR code, because HDMI 2.2 products can support different bandwidth tiers, including 64Gbps, 80Gbps and 96Gbps.

Australian pricing and availability have not been confirmed.