Monoprice Select HDMI cable review

The Monoprice Select is an affordable HDMI cable that gives you all of the functionality you'll find in more expensive cables.

Monoprice Select HDMI cable review
(Image: © MonoPrice)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

A great value HDMI cable, which is more than suitable for most people. It'll handle 1080p, 4K, and 3D signals, and you'll get it for less than $10.

Pros

  • +

    Very cheap

  • +

    Suitable for shorter connections

  • +

    Handles 4K

Cons

  • -

    Less sturdy than a braided HDMI

  • -

    Won't handle 4K at 60fps

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The Monoprice Select High-Speed cable is certified by HDMI Licensing, LLC as a High-Speed HDMI Cable. It's a great way to attach your TV to multiple electronics devices, but we actually chose the Monoprice DirectView Active for our best HDMI cable list, as it's slightly cheaper. This cable has everything you need for watching 1080p, 4K and 3D content. All Monoprice cables are great value, thanks to good build quality, strong feature list and affordable cost. This HDMI cable is a great option for most people. If you need to run an HDMI cable for distances more than 15 feet, then you may want to consider a cable with higher build quality like the AudioQuest Pearl.

The Monoprice Select gets points for being RoHS compliant, which indicates that it does not contain any harmful substances, such as lead. It also meets HDCP compliance standards, which means the cable includes a protocol that prevents the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted materials. This is required for viewing most high-definition content.

Monoprice's cable uses 24-karat gold plating on its connectors, which is common for most HDMI cables on the market. It also includes triple shielding within the cable to prevent interference from electronic signals nearby. Noise on the line caused by interference can be an issue for long cables.

As a certified High-Speed HDMI Cable, the Monoprice Select has a bandwidth of at least 10.2 Gbps (gigabits per second), which supports 1080p resolution. 1080p goes beyond yesterday's 8-bit RGB (red, green and blue) and displays the 16-bit deep color standards. The cable also supports 4K – four times the resolution of 1080p – and 3D. Beyond that, it has access to advanced color spaces, including sYCC601 and Adobe YCC601.

This cable has the capacity for surround-sound audio. It supports compressed formats that are represented by Dolby Digital and DTS, as well as the newer and more demanding lossless formats of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The cable also keeps video and audio content in step for source material that uses HDMI Lip Sync technology.

The Monoprice Select isn't perfect. For example, it doesn't have a braided cable, which would increase its expected lifespan. In general, the Monoprice Select's build quality isn't as good as some of the other HDMI cables on our lineup, but it makes up for that with its value proposition. This HDMI cable has all of the functionality of more expensive cables and is backed by a lifetime warranty. Sacrificing some build quality for affordability is a good move if you don't need very long HDMI cables.

Monoprice Select HDMI cable review

(Image credit: MonoPrice)

You can get the Monoprice Select in many different lengths, from as short as 1.5 feet to very long cables meant for in-wall installation. For any setup that uses cables less than 15 feet long, the Monoprice Select is an excellent choice. However, other manufacturers have cables that are better for long runs and in-wall installations.

Monoprice's website offers live chat for both customer service and technical support. It also offers support via form-driven email. Monoprice offers a lifetime warranty and a 21-day money-back guarantee. Lifetime warranties for HDMI cables aren't uncommon, but plenty of manufacturers limit their warranties to one year or even 30 days. With a lifetime warranty, you can have confidence in your purchase.

Should you have any questions about HDMI in general, you can reference Monoprice's FAQs and other support articles. If you can't find the answers you need, you can call Monoprice in addition to the live chat.

The Monoprice Select High-Speed HDMI cable is our top HDMI cable in terms of value. It doesn't have the best build quality, nor is it braided. However, it has access to all of the functionality that you expect from the latest HDMI cables, and at a fraction of the cost that some other companies ask you to pay. Though you may want to look elsewhere if you need very long cables, the Monoprice Select is an excellent HDMI in most situations.

Rebecca Armstrong

Rebecca has been writing about technology since 2015. She specializes in smartphones, phone plans, DNA tests and home networking equipment. She has a bachelors degree in creative writing and English literature from the University of Evansville. Rebecca currently works as the co-founder of All Times Are Local, a foster care organization.