HDMI 2.1 has been the preferred display standard for TVs and consoles, while DisplayPort 1.4 is what you see on most gaming monitors. The two interfaces are designed for different use cases, but you can't help but compare their feature sets, especially when the supposedly superior DisplayPort falls short in certain areas. These omissions might not be drawbacks, per se, for PC gamers, but they might dispel some of the notions you might have about DisplayPort. Although having an HDMI 2.1 port on your monitor doesn't guarantee each of the following features, it's worth exploring the list to see how versatile the ubiquitous standard is today.
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HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC)
Yes, HDMI can run network signals
It might be news to you, but the HDMI standard has supported Ethernet since the days of HDMI 1.4 in 2009. HEC was introduced alongside ARC and 4K support to simplify home theater setups. You need a specific HDMI cable with an "HDMI with Ethernet" label to access the functionality, but it is a feature that's absent on DisplayPort. It's another story that this feature never really gained widespread adoption. By the late 2010s, Ethernet was already commonplace on TVs, and Wi-Fi speeds were already ahead of the 100Mbps limit of HEC. Hence, manufacturers never added the necessary hardware for HEC on TVs and other A/V devices, meaning the feature never became anything more than a technical advantage for HDMI.
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HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC)
You've used it even if you haven't heard about it
You would have used HDMI-CEC countless times if you've used any smart TV in the last 10 years. In a nutshell, the feature allows you to control both your TV and connected HDMI devices like consoles, soundbars, and media players with a single remote. Reducing clutter, HDMI-CEC enables a more seamless experience by allowing HDMI-connected devices to communicate with each other for basic functions like power, volume, and input switching. You can probably guess why an equivalent feature never came out on DisplayPort. HDMI-CEC was designed around the home theater experience, and it isn't relevant to a PC gaming setup.
Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
DisplayPort could never
HDMI ARC allowed a single HDMI cable to carry audio from a TV to a soundbar or A/V receiver, reducing cable clutter. eARC was introduced with HDMI 2.1 as an upgrade over ARC in 2017, significantly improving the bandwidth available for uncompressed audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. For audiophiles who don't like to compromise on their media experience, eARC is one of the best features enabled by the HDMI standard. DisplayPort cables can also carry audio, but it lacks a return channel to enable eARC-like functionality. Of course, this doesn't affect the desktop experience, where uncompressed audio can be sent to speakers or soundbars anyway. Monitor speakers are rarely good enough to be dependable.
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Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Much-needed on TVs
ALLM was also introduced with HDMI 2.1, eliminating the need to tweak display settings manually when switching between gaming and media content. It automatically switches the display to the lowest latency mode, often termed "game" mode, to provide the most optimized gaming experience. Similarly, it switches the display back to the highest image quality mode when it detects media content, such as a movie. ALLM is commonly seen on TVs, with a handful of monitors also implementing the feature. On the latter, the difference in performance isn't significant, since gaming monitors already have much lower latency compared to TVs. DisplayPort doesn't have (or need) ALLM or an equivalent feature, since it's redundant in a PC gaming setup.
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4K@120Hz without DSC (vs. DP 1.4)
HDMI 2.1 had the edge for a while
While DisplayPort 2.0 and later standards eclipsed HDMI in terms of bandwidth, HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 remained the points of comparison for several years. DP 1.4 offers a maximum bandwidth of around 32 Gbps, whereas HDMI 2.1 is capable of 48 Gbps. If you're comparing two monitors, one with a DP 1.4 port and the other with an HDMI 2.1 port, only the latter is capable of uncompressed 4K@120Hz and 8K@60Hz signals. DP 1.4 also supports these high-bandwidth signals, but not without Display Stream Compression, which offers a visually lossless experience. Later standards like DP 2.0 and DP 2.1 increased the available bandwidth to 80 Gbps, gaining supremacy over HDMI 2.1.
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HDMI 2.1 holds several advantages over DP, but you might not care
Despite HDMI 2.1 supporting features like eARC, ALLM, and HDMI-CEC, PC users are more likely to get the best gaming experience with DisplayPort. The two standards excel in different areas with minimal overlap, so the technical superiority of one over the other has little real-world impact. You should ideally use HDMI 2.1 on your monitor (if available) instead of DP 1.4, but if you only have HDMI 2.0 ports, DP 1.4 is the best choice.