A New Version of HDMI Could Be Coming Soon

Summary

• The next-generation HDMI 2.2 display standard is rumored to debut at CES 2025.
• HDMI 2.2 will feature “increased bandwidths” that allow higher resolutions and refresh rates over the current HDMI 2.1 standard, but exact specs are under wraps.
• HDMI 2.1 allows for a maximum of 4K 120Hz without compression, so HDMI 2.2 could target 4K 360Hz and even 8K 144Hz.

A recent report suggests that HDMI 2.2 will be officially announced at CES 2025. The next-gen specification of the widely-used display technology is expected to feature higher resolutions and refresh rates over the current HDMI 2.1 standard, and a new cable to boot.

Launched in 2017, HDMI 2.1 has long been the dominant display interface and can be found in high-end monitors and TVs, as well as current-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. HDMI 2.1 is especially great for gaming as it enables resolutions and refresh rates of up to 4K 120Hz uncompressed at a maximum bandwidth of 48Gbps, and when Display Stream Compression is involved, this can be cranked up to a whopping 10K 100Hz. These specifications have yet to be saturated by currently available graphics cards and displays, but it seems the HDMI standard is ready to progress to the next step regardless.

According to an HDMI Forum press release reportedly received by Italian website Digital Day, HDMI 2.2 is set to debut at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January 2025. Exact specifications for HDMI 2.2 are most likely being saved for the tech event, but the press release notes that the next-gen HDMI interface will deliver “increased bandwidth” over HDMI 2.1 and support “a wide range” of higher resolutions and refresh rates. A new HDMI cable will also be introduced alongside HDMI 2.2 to enable the claimed upgrades.

Next-Gen HDMI 2.2 Specification Rumored to Debut at CES 2025

Outside a tiny sliver of ultra-dedicated enthusiasts, most gamers have yet to max out the HDMI 2.1 standard, so it should be interesting to see how much further HDMI 2.2 pushes the technological envelope. There’s also the question of backwards compatibility between HDMI 2.2 ports and older HDMI versions. This has yet to be confirmed, but if HDMI 2.2 uses the same signaling system as its predecessor just at a higher bandwidth, backwards compatibility might be on the cards. With 4K 120Hz already supported by HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0, HDMI 2.2 may target display milestones like 4K 360Hz or even 8K 144Hz.

Additionally, the purported launch of HDMI 2.2 may align perfectly with CES 2025’s other highly-anticipated hardware announcements. AMD is strongly rumored to launch RDNA 4 graphics cards at CES 2025, and Nvidia is also expected to reveal its 50-series graphics cards at the event. With both manufacturers competing fiercely over the GPU market, it’ll be interesting to see if one of them commits to the HDMI 2.2 standard to signal readiness for future display technologies.