In our experience, it was more than fast enough to deliver 4K and HDR at high quality on Netflix, even when it was a few rooms away from the router.
Roku claims it's 2x faster than the previous Streaming Stick, though we were unable to verify its exact speed different and your results will depend entirely on your house's network.
There's also Roku's free ad-supported Roku Channel, which offers some surprisingly good movies and shows without a subscription.ĭelivering all this is the Streaming Stick 4K+'s 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi antenna, which is built into the USB power cable. Roku also features apps from every major player, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+ (including iTunes library support), Google's various movies apps, pretty much every music streaming service, and a litany of premium services like HBO Max, Showtime, Peacock, Paramount+, AMC+, and basically anything else with a "+" after its name.
The immersive surround format that adds a height dimension is becoming more common both on the software and hardware sides, with Dolby Atmos-ready soundbars becoming increasingly affordable. Like other Roku streaming devices, it the Streaming Stick 4K pairs its video support with Dolby Atmos passthrough from supported services. Sometimes it's nice to have a show suggested for you, but most of the time I know I want to go right to Netflix and not have to wade through a bunch of stuff to get there. In nearly every case though, these are just ads for that platform's newest content, so to get to Netflix you'll first have to scroll past the latest episodes of whatever show Apple or Amazon is pushing. Though the home screens of most of Roku's competitors are flashier, they also almost universally opt to show you more splash screens for a bunch of new content you can dive right into. It's simple, it works, and it's consistent. The core thesis behind Roku's approach to streaming apps hasn't changed though: hit the home button and you'll be brought right to a grid of your favorite apps, just like the app drawer on your phone.
It's gotten a healthy bit of polish, but there are also more ads, more content suggestions, and more useful extras like screensavers and Roku's free "Roku Channel" full of complimentary content. Roku's interface has changed a lot over the years. The menu is brilliantly simple, and you can add just about any streaming app in existence. (You can also turn this off and use the chime with the Roku app.) It adds a rechargeable battery, headphone jack, two programmable shortcut buttons you can customize, and hands-free listening so you can just say "Hey Roku where's my remote?" and it'll play a little chime-if it can hear you from in between the cushions.
The Voice Remote Pro typically costs $29.99 on its own (so you save $10 with the bundle) and works with a wide range of Roku devices (so you can add it to an existing one if you want). If you opt for the pricier Streaming Stick 4K+ you get the same streaming stick but bundled with Roku's newer Voice Remote Pro. This basic remote doesn't feature a headphone jack for wireless listening (you can still use the Roku app on your phone for this). The standard Streaming Stick 4K offers the standard Roku voice remote, which has a push-to-talk microphone button, 4 streaming shortcuts (they'll vary from retailer to retailer), buttons for controlling and navigating your content, as well as volume and remote buttons. The main thing to be aware of here is the remote. The new Streaming Stick 4K has the regular remote, the Streaming Stick 4K+ has the fancier Voice Remote Pro.
This makes it ideal for cleanly installing behind wall-mounted TVs, though it will require a plug-in power supply if your TV doesn't offer USB power (a wall charger is included). The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is, as the name suggests, a "streaming stick" meaning its processor, memory, and radios are all built into a stick-like device that plugs into the back of your TV. Dimensions: 0.8 inches x 3.7 inches x 0.45 inches (W x H x D).Smart home support: Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple AirPlay 2, Apple HomeKit.Remote: Voice remote with streaming shortcuts, power, volume, mute (Voice Remote Pro only on Streaming Stick 4K+).Audio: DTS Digital Surround over HDMI, Dolby-encoded audio over HDMI (includes Dolby Atmos passthrough).Connectivity: 802.11ac MIMO dual-band Wi-Fi.Ports: HDMI 2.0b, USB for Power, Long-range Wi-Fi receiver (built-in).