Roku’s current lineup of dedicated streaming devices runs the gamut of price points and features. At one end, the low-priced option goes for around $ 30, while the top-end model has a asking price more than 3 times as much. But what is the difference between these streamers? What features and capabilities does Roku bring to the table to justify more expensive options? And conversely, what do you miss when choosing a budget-oriented streaming device?
Now, we have four current Roku streaming devices in our studio, each representing four different price points, so we thought we’d take a closer look at how similar they are and what sets them apart. If you have been wondering about the setup of Roku and which option might be best for your situation, this comparison can help.
However, before we dive in, let’s get some fine print out of the way. These four streaming devices came straight from Roku to us, so hurry out for them. However, we are not obligated or obligated to present them in a dedicated article. But since we have them in the studio, it makes a lot of sense to see how they compare to each other. That with that being said, let’s talk about these streaming devices.
First up is the Roku Express, which generally retails for around $ 29.99, though you may see it on sale from time to time. It’s the cheapest option in our roundup and it comes out at maximum 1080p resolution and does not support HDR, as high dynamic range. It also incorporates Roku’s basic controls, which it calls the Simple Remote. Compared to the remote higher end, this voiceover lacks a TV button for power and volume controls. But it’s the easiest to replace if you lose it, income at $ 14.99 for a new one.
Next up the ladder, at an MSRP of $ 39.99, is the Roku Premiere. This boosts the maximum resolution to 4K and offers HDR support in the form of HDR10. And besides, if you want to know more about 4K video than HDR video, we’ve published a few videos that delve into those topics.
The Premier also comes with the Simple Remote, just like the Express. And like the Express, the Premier must have what you call a “line of sight” for your remote control. In other words, it should be able to ‘see’ the signal ‘from your distance’ and you should direct the control on the device for commands to register.
Both of these devices are very small and light. So small and light, in fact, that they come with adhesive strips to hold them in place.
At the $ 49.99 MSRP level, we have the Streaming Stick +. The form factor here is dramatically different compared to the previous models we talked about. Instead of a small streaming receiver that sits discreetly on your entertainment center, the Streaming Stick + is a stick with an HDMI connection at one end. So instead of using an HDMI cable, plug it directly into the back of your TV. It also supports 4K and HDR. And because it is so small and does not require a separate cable, it can provide a more portable and travel-friendly streaming option.
This one comes with the Voice Remote with TV Controls. And, as you might gather from the name, this remote adds a voice search button, plus TV and volume controls.
And then at the top of the heap we have the $ 99.99 MSRP Roku Ultra. And as the name already suggests, this is meant to be the top-tier experience, with more bells and whistles than other devices in Roku’s lineup.
It packs an Ethernet port if you do not want WiFi connection, 4K and HDR support, a microSD slot for memory expansion and Roku’s Enhanced Voice Remote.
On top of the regular controls of the Voice Remote, this favorite one offers a feature for Remote Finder, personal shortcuts that you can customize to load your favorite apps or frequent keywords, and a headphone jack for the recorded earbuds.
This last feature enables Private Listening Mode, which wirelessly pumps the audio from your TV to your remote so you can listen through headphones. It’s a nice trick that the other devices on our list do not support outside the box.
However, if you’re interested in listening to Private, you can achieve the same effect with non-Ultra devices via Roku’s smartphone app. Just connect your headphones to your mobile device and enable Private listening via the app.
And here’s how to stack these four devices in handy chart form. One thing we need to point out is that Roku has used some of these names for older devices in the past, so we have included here the model numbers of the most current versions available. And you might notice similarities for CPUs, but there are clear differences in the RAM department. Now, could more available memory translate to better performance?
Well, we’ll have to test them to find out. So let’s do that?
OK, here’s how our tests happened. We have set up a course in a multi-app for each device. And we determine how long it took for each device to fully charge the home screens for the various apps. For each test run we ran through 9 different apps and measured the performance completely. Then we reset the devices and run the test again a total of three times per device. And because not all devices in our test can support 4K resolutions, we chose to run these tests on a 1080p TV to level the playing field, so to speak.
In total, those are 120 measurements and then we took the average performance of each device to come up with a definitive result. As for the apps we tested, we opted for a mix of popular and common apps and we run them in the same order each time. Starting with:
- Netflix
- YouTube
- Amazon Prime Video
- Disney +
- Hulu
- ESPN
- Pluto TV
- The Roku Canal
- It Roku Tips and Tricks Channel.
Finally, we shot up Netflix one more time to see if the app loads faster the second time around. And in case you were wondering, yes, setting up streaming services, installing apps and logging in to accounts across multiple devices and then executing more than a hundred benchmarks took a while. But on the bright side, I really remember my passwords right now.
So let’s see how that turned out.
As you can see from our results, more RAM became available when we switched from app to app. At the bottom of our Leaderboard, the $ 29.99 Roku Express averaged 123.07 seconds to complete our 10-stage course. And you can see from both Netflix scores at both ends that it could not load the app much faster the second time around. While the other three devices we tested placed much faster times for the second Netflix test.
We also noticed that the Express had to load apps into memory from time to time, which could add a few seconds to your total wait. At the other end of the charts, the Ultra ran away with things, placing the best times in all 10 phases of the test and reaching the only overall 100-second overall time.
And in case you were wondering (because I was), we also tested the Ultra on a 4K TV with the same test and it scored broadly similar times. That should come as little of a surprise, since its maximum resolution for menus and user interfaces is 1080p, but it’s nice to know that it does not wrestle on more advanced displays.
So yes, you do get faster performance for your money, at least from what our tests show. Beyond that, however, using the Ultra generally feels more responsive and flexible than the cheaper options. Overall, performance seems to go up as you climb the price ladder, but it’s definitely worth figuring out how much your app load times are worth considering how much you, say, money and other features.
After all, yes, the Express took measurements longer to load each app and had to juggle apps in and out of the system memory during our course, but it still charged them just fine. It’s, as we mentioned, less than a third the cost of the Ultra, so it’s up to you to decide if you can wait a few more seconds for your favorite apps to load as it means you’ll have a lot of cash save.
And if you are looking to add a streaming device to your setup, you need to keep in mind where you are using it. If it’s primarily for a secondary TV in a back room or garage or something like that, and if it’s a non-4K TV, then options like the Ultra may be too much for that intended purpose.
Meanwhile, travel-friendly models like the Streaming Stick + can be a good middle ground if you want more performance and 4K support, but don’t necessarily want all the options the Ultra offers. It may also make sense, say, to mount wall-mounted TVs where you may not have a shelf space handy for a streaming device to sit on.
Of course, if you want the top-tier player from Roku, the performance of Ultra may justify its higher price tag, especially if you find yourself frequently jumping between different streaming services and apps. It scrolls smoothly through menus and switching between those apps is just more enjoyable. It also comes with a more fully featured remote, so it can make more sense for your main living room device, especially if you rock a 4K TV with HDR support.
Hopefully this gives a better idea of how these different devices compare, at different price points. If you visited an Express and wondered how much you would miss by skipping the expensive options, I hope this sheds more light on how it stacks up. Conversely, if you’ve been looking for the Ultra but want to see how some cheaper options perform, well, again, I hope this was helpful.
Ultimately, though, it’s really all about you, your personal streaming needs, and whether or not you can find a device that hits most, if not all, of the bullet points on your wish list. And if none of the options we discussed here really fit the bill for you, on what streaming devices have you turned your? Maybe you’re an HBO Max fan as a Peacock subscriber and have opted for a device that currently supports those services? Feel free to share your current go-to streaming device in the comments below. And if you would like us to compare some other options here, please let us know!
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Philip Palermo 