Few years ago I bought an HDMI cable for £1 ($1.31). I just needed to connect my laptop to hotel screen, so went for the cheapest.
It started to be a bit crazy in recent days as a placement of the cable caused some screen flickering.
It’s nicely marked as “Better HDMI 1.3 cable”. It’s very easy to bend, so it seemed to be a multi-strand wire, which is more durable when used for flexible cables.
So, I disassembled the plastic isolation and cable shielding. Then I could see each wire and they were stiff on touch. That indicates usage of a single-strand wires. After removal of insulation we can see it’s really the case.
A single-strand wire can be easily broken when bended multiple times, but it’s obviously cheaper. It can be good for fixed installations where you install the cable once and never move it again.
If you want to choose an HDMI cable for your travel needs, look for one with multi-strand wires as it will last much longer.