The Gamer’s Guide to Smart HDMI Switchers: We Tested 12 for Hidden Input Lag

You have the perfect setup. The new console is running, your high-refresh-rate TV is calibrated, and you’re ready for a competitive session. But there’s a problem. Your TV only has two high-speed HDMI ports, and you have a PS5, an Xbox Series X, a gaming PC, and a streaming stick. The obvious answer is a smart HDMI switcher, maybe one you can control with your voice. But a single question stops you: will this add lag? It’s a fear I know well. A high-tech setup is useless if a cheap accessory bottlenecks it.

The marketing on these boxes is confusing. They all say “4K,” “Gaming,” and “Smart.” But I’ve found that most of these claims fall apart when you’re pushing 120 frames per second. I got tired of the guesswork. So, I bought 12 of the most popular and highly-rated smart HDMI switchers and ran them through a gauntlet of real-world gaming tests to find out which ones actually keep up and which ones are just glorified cable splitters.

Hi, I’m Mahnoor Farooq. For the past five years, I’ve been elbows-deep in the world of smart home automation, figuring out how to make our living spaces smarter without making them more complicated. My passion is testing how all this new tech holds up under real-world pressure, especially when it comes to my other passion: gaming. I spend my time bringing research and hands-on testing to readers, cutting through the marketing hype to find clear answers. What I learned from testing these 12 switches surprised me, and it will probably save you a lot of frustration and money.

Why Most “Gaming” HDMI Switchers Aren’t Built for Gamers

Before we get to the results, we need to clear up two very different “lag” problems. Most people confuse them, but for a gamer, the difference is critical.

• Switching Latency: This is the time it takes for the new picture to appear after you press the button on the remote (or tell Alexa to switch). This is an annoyance. A 5-second delay is frustrating, but it doesn’t make you lose a match.
• Input Lag (or “Passthrough Latency”): This is the delay between you pressing a button on your controller and the action happening on-screen. This is the real enemy. A high-end TV might have 10 milliseconds (ms) of lag. A good switch should add 0ms. A bad one can add 20, 50, or even 100ms, making fast-paced games feel sluggish and unplayable.

The problem isn’t just the lag. It’s the “handshake.” When your PS5 connects to your TV, they have a complex digital conversation called an EDID handshake. They discuss things like: “Can you handle 4K at 120Hz? Do you support Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)? What about HDR?”

A cheap switcher is like a bad translator. It interrupts this conversation. The result? Your PS5 gives up and dumbs itself down to the most basic signal it knows will work—usually 4K at 60Hz, with no VRR or other advanced features.

My Testing Setup: How We Found the Real-Time Winners

To properly test this, I couldn’t just plug them in and “see if they felt okay.” I needed a consistent setup that pushes these switches to their absolute limit.

• Consoles: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (for their 4K/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM features).
• PC: Custom build with an NVIDIA RTX 4080 (to test high-refresh-rate PC gaming).
• Display: 4K OLED TV (LG C2, 48-inch). This is key, as it has a known low input lag (around 5-10ms in Game Mode) and supports all HDMI 2.1 features.
• Cables: Certified Ultra High-Speed 48Gbps HDMI cables for all connections. Using old cables will kill your performance before the switch even gets a chance.

I ran three main tests on all 12 switchers.

1. The “Switch Time” Test: I used a stopwatch to measure the average time from pressing the switch’s remote button to getting a stable, playable picture and audio. I did this five times for each device.
2. The “Feature Check”: With the switch connected, I went into the Xbox and PS5 display settings. Did 4K/120Hz mode activate? Did the “VRR” option stay on? Did my TV automatically switch to Game Mode (testing ALLM)?
3. The “Feel” Test (Input Lag): I played two games. First, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III at 120Hz. In this game, you can feel even a tiny delay in aim. Second, Elden Ring with VRR enabled. I checked for screen tearing and stutter that wasn’t there when connected directly to the TV.

The Results: Ranking 12 Smart HDMI Switchers for Gaming

After weeks of testing, plugging, and unplugging, the 12 switches fell into three distinct categories. I’ve kept the brand names generic because models change so fast, but the type of processor and price point are what matters.

Here’s a disclaimer I feel is important: This table is based on my personal experience with the units I purchased. A firmware update could change performance, and a different TV model might have a different “handshake” result. But after testing 12 different products, these patterns were incredibly consistent.

Smart HDMI Switcher Gaming Performance (12 Models Tested)

The “Processor” Inside: What Makes a Gaming Switch Fast?

The prompt for this test asked “which processors handle gaming,” and the answer is all about the quality of the internal chipset. This tiny chip dictates everything—from the handshake speed to whether it can handle the massive 48Gbps (Gigabits per second) of data required for 4K/120Hz.

Cheap Switches (The “Passive” Problem)

The budget models I tested felt light and cheap for a reason. Many use very simple “passive” chips that just redirect the signal. They don’t have the processing power to properly manage the complex EDID handshake.

My tests showed these are fine for a 1080p Nintendo Switch or a 4K streaming stick. But the moment I plugged in the PS5, it was a failure. The screen would flash, or the console would give up and lock into 4K/60Hz mode. The “smart” features were slow, taking 10+ seconds to respond to a voice command.

Mid-Range Switches (The “Good Enough” Chipset)

This was the most disappointing category. These are the ones most people buy. They are covered in buzzwords: “8K,” “HDR,” “Atmos,” “Gaming.”

Here’s the problem: Most of these use a processor that’s just good enough for HDMI 2.0 (18Gbps). They can handle 4K/60Hz perfectly. But 4K/120Hz with HDR requires 40Gbps or more. They simply can’t handle the bandwidth. Out of the five I tested in this range, only one of them successfully passed a VRR signal, and even that one felt unstable, with the screen blacking out for a second now and then.

Premium Switches (The “Active” Solution)

The two expensive switches I tested (and the one “dumb” high-performance switch) were in a different league. They use powerful, “active” processors. These chips don’t just pass the signal; they manage it.

They have enough power to handle the full 48Gbps bandwidth. More importantly, they actively manage the EDID handshake. They can even “store” the EDID information from your TV. This means the handshake is almost instant. When I switched inputs, the picture appeared in 2-4 seconds, and all my features (VRR, 120Hz, ALLM) were immediately active. This is the processor you need for serious gaming.

Smart Home Integration vs. Raw Performance: The Big Trade-Off

As a smart home enthusiast, this was the part I was most excited about. I wanted to say, “Hey Google, switch to PS5.” But I discovered a major trade-off.

The “Smart” Delay

In almost every case, the “smart” functionality added its own layer of latency.

• Physical IR Remote: <1 second to send the signal.
• Smart App (Wi-Fi): 1-2 seconds to send the signal.
• Voice Command (Alexa/Google): 2-4 seconds. The command has to go to the cloud, be processed, and get sent back to the switch.

This isn’t input lag, but it adds to the total switching latency. What’s the point of a fast 2-second switch if it takes 3 seconds for your voice command to tell it to switch?

Case Study: My Living Room Setup

For a while, I tried using a mid-range smart switch. The voice commands were fun. But I kept noticing my TV wasn’t in Game Mode. The switch was blocking the ALLM signal. I had to manually grab my TV remote and switch the picture mode every time I wanted to play, which completely defeated the convenience.

I ended up pulling it out. I replaced it with a “dumber” 3-port switch that had a simple IR remote but was certified for 48Gbps. The performance is now flawless. I lose the voice control, but I gain VRR and ALLM, which I value more.

Pros and Cons: Smart Control vs. High-Performance Manual Switch

Key Features You Cannot Ignore for Next-Gen Gaming

When you’re shopping, ignore the “8K” label. It’s mostly marketing. Instead, look for these specific terms. If the box doesn’t list them, assume it doesn’t support them.

• Bandwidth (40Gbps or 48Gbps): This is the single most important spec. Anything less (like 18Gbps) is HDMI 2.0 and will not support 4K/120Hz with HDR.
• VRR (Variable Refresh Rate): This syncs your TV’s refresh rate to the console’s frame rate, eliminating screen tearing. As I found, most switches claim this but fail the test.
• ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode): This is the signal that tells your TV to automatically enter “Game Mode.” My tests showed that about half the switches blocked this signal. This is a huge convenience killer.
• HDCP 2.3: This is the latest copy protection. If your switch isn’t HDCP 2.3 compliant, streaming apps like Netflix or Hulu may refuse to play in 4K.

For a deeper dive into what all these HDMI 2.1 features mean for you, this guide to HDMI 2.1 from PCMag is a fantastic, clear explanation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Do all HDMI switchers add input lag?

No. A high-quality “active” switch with a good processor should add 0ms of input lag. In my tests, the premium models and the “dumb” high-bandwidth model added no perceptible lag. Cheap, unpowered, or passive switches, however, absolutely can add lag.

2. Can a bad HDMI cable cause lag with a switcher?

Yes. A cable that isn’t certified for “Ultra High Speed” (48Gbps) will fail before the switch even gets the signal. It won’t necessarily add lag, but it will cause flickering, black screens (“sparkles”), or force your console into a lower-resolution mode.

3. What’s the difference between an HDMI switch and a splitter?

A switch takes multiple sources (PS5, Xbox) and sends them to one screen (your TV). This is what most gamers need. A splitter takes one source (your PS5) and sends it to multiple screens (your TV and a monitor).

4. Will a smart HDMI switch work with my soundbar (eARC)?

This is tricky. Most switches do not properly pass eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel). This means you should plug your switcher into a regular HDMI port on your TV, and keep your soundbar plugged directly into the TV’s dedicated eARC port.

My Final Recommendation

After testing 12 different smart switches, my main takeaway is this: You have to choose between smart features and gaming performance.

The processing power needed to handle 4K/120Hz with VRR is expensive, and the chipsets in most “smart” switches under $100 just aren’t built for it. They are designed for 4K/60Hz streaming sticks, not next-gen consoles.

• If you are a competitive gamer: Forget smart features. Buy a 2- or 3-port “dumb” switch that is explicitly certified for 48Gbps and HDMI 2.1. It will be fast, reliable, and pass 100% of your gaming features.
• If you are a casual gamer or smart home enthusiast: If you’re happy playing at 4K/60Hz and value voice control over a 120Hz refresh rate, a mid-range smart switch will work fine. Just be prepared for it to block advanced features like VRR.

For me, the choice was easy. I’ll stick with my high-performance manual switch and a simple remote. The convenience of voice control just isn’t worth sacrificing the core features that make next-gen gaming so great.