Roku’s 4K streaming stick is touted as a small but powerful option. Discover its power in this Roku Streaming Stick 4K review.
Roku Streaming Stick 4K review: the little streaming stick that could replace the classic Roku streaming stick
has finally grown up. It got thinner, faster, and sharper than ever. The only question is how much strength Roku could hold. The new smaller footprint. Let’s put the new streaming device to the test to see how it performs in a crowded field. This is Android Authority’s Roku Streaming Stick 4K review.
What you need to know about the Roku Streaming Stick 4K
The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is one of the company’s smallest streaming devices and serves as a successor to the Roku Streaming Stick Plus. With 93.98mm in length, 20.32mm in width and only 11.43mm in height, this version is slightly smaller than the previous generation. It connects to your TV through an HDMI port. The only other opening is for the micro USB power cable.
In the package you’ll find the 4K Streaming Stick itself, a power cord with an included wall block, and the Roku voice remote. It’s not the rechargeable Voice Remote Pro ($ 29) with its extra buttons and remote search feature, but you can still send voice commands and control your TV’s volume and power with the traditional Roku remote. The included remote has four buttons for quick access to popular video streaming apps: Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, and Hulu for the model we tested. However, these will change depending on the region and the services available. If you’re looking for the best device and the best remote, get the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus ($ 69.99), which includes the Roku Streaming Stick Plus with Voice Remote Pro.
The 4K streaming stick offers one of its most important functions – streaming quality. It supports video content up to 4K with a compatible TV as well as HDR 10, HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision, the latter being a welcome update to Streaming Stick Plus and a previously exclusive feature of the more expensive Roku Ultra. It also supports Dolby Audio, but not Atmos.
The Roku app is the final piece of the streaming puzzle. It is available for Android and iOS and supports Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa.
The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is now available at major retailers, while the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus arrives in the United States on October 17.
What is good?
All streaming devices should come with their own version of the Roku Voice Remote – it offers TV controls, voice commands, and easy setup. It also bypasses the numeric keypad, which is great for cable cutters. I found the right size for my hand and had no problem reaching all the buttons with one hand. The voice commands also work great as I had no issues with clarity or precision.
Getting a personalized feel from a streaming device isn’t always easy, but I liked choosing from the range of Roku themes. The space theme immediately became a favorite, filled with Easter eggs from a nice selection of movies. Dune, Star Wars, and Alien, and that was just the little time I spent outside of an app.
Roku packs a lot of power in its pocket-sized 4K streaming stick. 4K resolution is crisp and smooth as long as you have a compatible TV and offers a high level of protection for the future when you upgrade next. The device also has a new quad-core processor with up to 30 processors and WiFi speeds up to twice as fast as previous models. It is not possible to accurately test these claims, but I have never had any issues with delays or buffers in my experience with them. and it’s significantly faster than Amazon’s rival Fire TV Stick 4K.
It’s even more impressive when you realize how small the Roku Streaming Stick 4K really is. I could easily put it in a bag or in my backpack to travel from home. even that is not higher than a standard smartphone.
What is not so good?
I enjoyed almost every aspect of using the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, but some of Roku’s choices made me lose my mind. The first is the possibility of proceeding with a micro USB port to power the device. While USB-C is always a mess, it makes sense to move on to the last connection as people build their cable collection. I know if I misplaced the Roku cable that came with it, I would have to search a bit to find it. a replacement for micro USB.
Another issue that some users may have with the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is the four shortcut buttons. There’s currently no way to reassign them to launch different apps, which means you’ll stick with what Roku gives you. This isn’t a problem for any of the four services, but if any one is missing, you won’t have much use for that button.
There are still a few ads dotted around in the Roku 10.5 operating system, including one on the homepage. It’s pretty easy to ignore as long as you spend most of the time there.