Roku Streaming Stick 4k Plus Review
This Roku® Streaming Stick® 4K also works with popular voice assistants. Ask your Alexa or Google Assistant-enabled device to launch channels, search for entertainment, control your streaming, and more. You can also control your TV using the Apple Home app or Siri on your Apple devices plus share videos, photos, and music from your Apple device using AirPlay. If you prefer using Roku’s mobile app rather than the remote control, there are also some improvements there.
But if you already have a streaming setup and you don’t notice any issues, I wouldn’t be too worried about this either. The 2021 model of the Roku Express 4K + is currently $ 30 and has the same apps and almost all of the same features. It’s slower and slimmer, but it also streams in 4K, even if it doesn’t support some of the same tech standards. The stick is as long as a credit card and just a little wider and thicker than the HDMI port it plugs into – it’s less of a streaming box than a dongle. The only thing to keep in mind is the USB power cord which is also the Wi-Fi antenna (difficult to replace so don’t break).
Roku offers devices of all shapes and sizes, and at plenty of price points. However, the classic streaming stick is what made Roku a household name. The segment has become increasingly crowded in the last few years, so how does Roku stand out? Find out everything you want to know about the Roku Streaming Stick Plus right here in our review.
Jared Newman / IDGRoku's home screen puts all your apps within easy reach. If you want to buy a streaming player without overthinking it, just get the new Roku Streaming Stick 4K. However, if you have any model from, say, the last three years, you probably won’t see much of roku streaming stick 4k 4k+ 2021 a performance boost here.
You can also download a Roku app that will connect over Bluetooth so you can type on a real phone keyboard instead of clicking arrows on a screen. Then just sign into Netflix and fire up Longmire for Wyoming prairies and crotchety cowboys. Despite the enhanced antenna, I ran into some problems connecting the Streaming Stick 4K to my Wi-Fi network.
The Streaming Stick 4K has an MSRP just under $50 and—at least in terms of what shows up on your screen—is basically the same as the $100 Ultra. The Ultra does have a few more features, like wired internet, but it's way more expensive. And if you opt for the Streaming Stick 4K+ (note the + there) you get the new Voice Remote Pro for just $20 more. That's still cheaper than the Ultra, even when it's on sale, and it gets you a better remote. If your home has weak Wi-Fi, or if you just prefer not having to worry about your streaming dipping in quality randomly, a wired connection can be super useful.
The only differentiator between the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus and the regular Stick 4K is that the former comes with the Voice Remote Pro. I reviewed the accessory on its own earlier this year and found it to be great. In fact, it won the 2021 TechToSee’s Guide Award for Best Streaming Device Remote, even beating out Apple’s new Siri Remote for the Apple TV 4K. There were occasional misunderstandings, just like Alexa search on Fire TV. They both heard me correctly about 90 percent of the time. The Fire TV’s Live TV grid, though, integrates with cord-cutter services such as Sling TV — a huge boon for cord-cutters like myself. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus review costs $70, which is $20 more than the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K. The price difference is due to the inclusion of the Roku Voice Remote Pro, which itself is $30.
All the changes to the app will be available to you and because the functionality is more or less the same across models, you’re not missing out on much by skipping this one. It works for Roku as a company — providing low-cost hardware that still makes money — and it works for you as the customer, giving you an easy way to watch the things you want to watch. Roku requires you to actively acknowledge that the remote control will be listening. There is one difference between Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Roku Streaming Stick 4K+, and one difference only. There’s a reason Roku is the biggest streaming platform in the United States.