DisplayPort 2.1
Display Cables · 7 specs
Direct Answer
DisplayPort 2.1, announced October 2022, is a certification-level refinement of the DisplayPort 2.0 specification VESA released back in June 2019. Its fastest UHBR20 mode delivers 80 Gbps raw bandwidth -- enough for a single 10K display at 60Hz uncompressed, or multiple high-refresh 4K/8K displays daisy-chained with compression.
Source: VESA DisplayPort 2.1 Specification · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Max Resolution @ Refresh Rate | 16K @ 60Hz (DSC) / 8K @ 120Hz / 4K @ 240Hz |
| Max Bandwidth / Data Rate | 80.0 Gbps (UHBR20, 77.37 Gbps payload) |
| Pin Count | 20 Pins (DP) / USB-C (DP40 / DP80 certified) |
| Display Stream Compression (DSC) | DSC 1.2a Mandatory Support |
| Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) | VESA Adaptive-Sync & Panel Replay |
| Max Audio Channels | 32 Channels |
| Max Recommended Cable Length | 1–2 Meters (Passive DP80) / 3m (DP40) |
A New Encoding Scheme for a Much Bigger Pipe
VESA released the underlying DisplayPort 2.0 specification on June 26, 2019; DisplayPort 2.1, announced in October 2022, is a certification-level refinement of that same spec (aligning it with USB4 and adding cable-certification requirements) rather than a new bandwidth tier. Its fastest mode, UHBR20, uses 128b/132b encoding -- far more efficient than the 8b/10b encoding of earlier DisplayPort versions -- to push raw bandwidth to 80 Gbps, more than double DisplayPort 1.4's ceiling.
That bandwidth is enough for a single 10K (10240x4320) display at 60Hz uncompressed, or -- using Display Stream Compression -- multiple high-refresh 4K or 8K displays daisy-chained via Multi-Stream Transport from one source port, addressing use cases from professional multi-monitor workstations to next-generation home theater and VR displays.