Roku Streaming Stick 4K is a great companion for your first 4K TV

Roku is nothing if not consistent.

The leading name in streaming hardware refreshes a good deal of its player lineup on an annual basis, usually favoring small, incremental revisions over sweeping changes. That’s the case with the new Streaming Stick 4K, a $50 4K streamer that acts as an improved replacement of sorts for the older Streaming Stick Plus.

Again, the differences this time around aren’t massive: Boosts to performance and WiFi connectivity combine with support for the HDR10+ and DolbyVision HDR formats to produce a device that will load 4K content faster, and make it look better than its predecessor…as long as your TV supports 4K and/or HDR, that is.

This may not be a necessary upgrade for Roku lovers who already have 4K streamers. But if you’ve hesitated to jump on the 4K train this long, the new Streaming Stick 4K could be the option for you, even in a crowded market.

Don’t fix what isn’t broken

Stick and remote.
Credit: mashable composite

Just like previous Roku sticks, the Streaming Stick 4K is a little rectangular fella (measuring in at 3.7 inches) that plugs directly into an HDMI port, nestled behind the TV instead of being visible on your entertainment center like a streaming box. A USB power cable connects it to a power outlet and the initial setup process is quick and easy. You’ll create or log into a Roku account in a web browser, register the device, and tell it which apps to install during setup so you don’t have to seek them out in the app store afterward.

Roku didn’t reinvent its classic remote design here. It’s still the same battery-powered rectangle with curved edges with the inexplicable Roku-branded tab sticking out from the bottom. Power, home, and back buttons sit on the top above a directional pad for menu browsing. Below that you have simple playback controls as well as a menu button and a voice search button. Finally, branded shortcut buttons for Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Hulu adorn the bottom.

I should note that Roku is selling a $70 Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ bundle that packages this new stick together with the recently released Voice Remote Pro. I understand balking at the extra $20, but hear me out for a second: That remote is powered by USB charging and not AA batteries. Spend a little more cash now and you’ll never have to buy batteries for the remote again. It’s also got a headphone jack for remote listening and customizable shortcut buttons, so I’d strongly consider that bundle if you can afford it.

Snappy software

Roku really doesn’t change these remotes much over time.
Credit: mashable composite

It bears repeating that the Streaming Stick 4K doesn’t introduce much in the way of unique, exclusive software features. Roku’s user-friendly interface, which I’d say is the best one to put in front of your tech-averse parents who just need a way to watch their favorite shows, is fully intact here and works as well as ever. Other features that you’ll find in previous Roku devices like the 4K Express+ such as AirPlay support and compatibility with Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa are all present in this stick as well.

The main thing that makes the Streaming Stick 4K stand out from some other $50-or-less Roku streamers I’ve tried is just how responsive and unobtrusive the software is. Roku claims its new processor boosts device speed by up to 30 percent and it shows. Navigating the menu and loading up your streaming apps is satisfyingly snappy. I liked the 4K Express+ a great deal for its value alone, but the Streaming Stick 4K wins on system-level performance.

Another new addition Roku is touting is an upgraded WiFi receiver that purports to connect to routers from farther away than previous models while also allowing up to twice as much network speed as before. I live in a very small apartment, so I can’t really speak to whether or not it maintains connections at long range, but I will say the general WiFi performance was excellent for me.

Obviously, that can vary based on everything from the competence of your ISP to the quality of your router and even the layout of your home. But in my testing, high-quality streams loaded speedily and maintained that quality without resolution drops or buffering outside of a few very isolated and short-lived instances.

Dune on HBO Max, for instance, only took a few seconds to start up and then maybe 10 more seconds to buffer into 4K. The Warner Bros. logo hadn’t even finished its little song-and-dance by then. It was smooth sailing from there.

Aside from unavoidable pitfalls like the HBO Max app being poorly designed and slow, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K ran like a dream for something so diminutive and affordable. You won’t regret your purchase, but before you make it, take stock of what else is available.

Close competition

The 4K streamer market has gotten incredibly competitive in the past year or two. As such, the Streaming Stick 4K offers perfectly acceptable value, but it’s not an obvious slam dunk choice over some of its cohorts.

The aforementioned $40 Express 4K+ is a little slower and doesn’t support as many HDR formats, but it’s 10 bucks cheaper than the Streaming Stick 4K. If you’re just dipping your toes into 4K streaming for the first time, that’s a totally decent option that’ll save you a bit of cash.

Alternatively, the $55 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon’s best streamer yet. It plays nicely with Amazon smart home devices and is the cheapest WiFi 6-compatible streamer. You may not have a WiFi 6 router yet, but you probably will within five years, making this a future-proof device. That said, it’s a bit more expensive and the main menu is littered with Amazon ads.

I’ve maintained for the past year that the $50 Chromecast with Google TV is the best streamer in this price range and that hasn’t changed. Its user interface and performance are both great, plus you’re not in as much danger of randomly losing access to apps due to business disputes as you might be with Roku.

Ultimately, the new Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ is a very good entry-level 4K device that will make your favorite films and shows shine, with a simple user interface that won’t get in anyone’s way and appreciable performance enhancements. You’ll have to throw down an extra $20 to get the version with the best remote, which is a bummer, but the cheaper option isn’t a bad deal either.

Now, if only they’d stop putting that weird tab on the remotes.