Roku Streaming Stick 4k 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 a performance boost here.
On top of all that, the remote lacks the TV controls for power and volume that have become standard features over the past year. There’s now a vast selection of content using the HDR format across popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Vudu (which is now Roku’s default rental store), and others. And the Streaming Stick 4K played it all back without any problems — not that I’d expect otherwise. During my time with the unit so far, I didn’t run into any overheating issues that the Streaming Stick Plus could occasionally be susceptible to.
Running the test records a series of color flashes on your TV and sound to measure the delay. What’s better is that multiple people can participate in Bluetooth Private Listening. This is a great feature for partners who want to watch their favorite show at night without disturbing their children. I was able to stream content from Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix all in Atmos. I confirmed this from the Sonos app for my Arc soundbar, which always indicated the audio output format. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K isn’t going to change the way roku streaming stick 4k 4k+ 2021 you use Roku if you’re a current Roku user.
Here are the best options for anyone looking to drop their cable or satellite subscription that still wants to watch their favorite shows and events. A user can also choose to link their Google Account to Movies Anywhere for access to purchased and rented content from other platforms. By doing so, the user is sharing their content library with Movies Anywhere. Gary has been writing about tech for over a decade and was a software engineer before joining Android Authority in 2012. He currently runs the Gary Explains YouTube channel and is responsible for the development of Speed Test G, Android Authority's custom benchmarking platform.
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.