First announced in January 2025 at CES, the HDMI Forum officially released the next version of the HDMI specification, Ultra96 or HDMI 2.2. It brings higher resolutions and refresh rates, including 12K at 120 FPS and 16K at 60 FPS. But don’t get excited just yet because it’s not something that’s going to be rolled out to TVs currently in your home, so there’s nothing for you to upgrade. When a new standard is adopted, it takes years for manufacturers to install it in new devices. HDMI 2.1, for instance, was released in November 2017 but didn’t actually show up in a marketable product until September 2020, and it was an NVIDIA graphics card that first used it, not a monitor or TV. It may take just as long or longer for HDMI 2.2 to appear in products on store shelves.
Moreover, there were questionable decisions around the HDMI 2.1 standard’s use, particularly in how some manufacturers “fake” it. Yes, there’s a good chance that your HDMI 2.1 ports are actually fake, because some of the features that make up the new standard are optional. Yes, that’s as confusing as it sounds. There are HDMI 2.1 ports that don’t include the features and specs they should.
The new HDMI 2.2 version introduces new ports, but also a new Ultra96 cable, and together they support a higher bandwidth up to 96 Gbps, double the previous version. However, similar to the way HDMI 2.1 replaced older versions, HDMI 2.2 will do the same. All ports will be labeled as 2.2, and since the new features are “optional,” it’s likely we’ll see a lot of “fake” HDMI 2.2 ports.
Why don’t I need to upgrade anything?
There’s no exact timetable for HDMI 2.2’s practical launch, meaning, yes, the standard is released, but it won’t show up in new products for a while yet. So, there’s no need for you to run out and upgrade your TV or swap out your HDMI devices and cables. Manufacturers probably aren’t in any hurry to adopt the new standard, either, so even many products launching over the next year, maybe longer, won’t include HDMI 2.2. But there’s another point to consider. If the standard were to be adopted immediately and included in every single TV, which it won’t, the faster bandwidth and functionality will also need to be supported by content providers, and that’s currently not the case either.
If you’re simply interested in achieving a higher visual fidelity with your existing setup, there is an HDMI setting that can make almost any TV look better. On the other side of that coin, there is another HDMI setting that could ruin your experience. Either way, you have some time to fiddle around with your TV, media streaming devices, and other HDMI gear. The new HDMI 2.2 tech is not going to roll out overnight, especially since it officially launched in June, nearly half a year ago.
