If you find that your TV is too slow to stream built-in apps, here's a decent suggestion to fix the situation on the cheap: Roku 4K Streaming Stick on sale again for $29. This offer has been available throughout most of the holiday season, and it's not an all-time low—the cost per key dropped to $25 by the end of 2023—but it matches the biggest discount we've tracked this year. For reference, Roku typically sells the device for $50, although the price has been dropping in recent months. often sold at retail for $34 at third party stores like Amazon. Either way, you'll save a little more than usual.
The discount is available at several stores including Amazon. Walmart, Best buy And Roku.com. If you're hoping to get the device as a Christmas gift, it'll be more of a hassle: Most listings we could find say it won't ship until after the holidays, so you'll likely have to order in – pick up at Walmart, Best Buy or other retail store with physical points of sale.
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That matches the best price we've seen all year for a 4K streaming dongle from Roku.
We recommend the Streaming Stick 4K in our guide to best streaming devices. It's not as fast or smooth as a premium set-top box like Apple TV 4Kbut it still loads apps and menus quickly, and its diminutive design plugs directly into your TV's HDMI port. It supports almost all major HDR formats and streaming services (Twitch Plus), plus it works with Apple's AirPlay 2 protocol, so you can stream content from your iPhone to it. While it can't decode Dolby Atmos audio on its own, it can stream that audio to a compatible sound system from apps that support the technology.
Like other Roku devices, the Streaming Stick 4K is incredibly easy to navigate, and the home screen consists of a basic grid of apps. Google TV streamer (the top pick in our guide) is much more proactive in recommending content you might like and taking you back to shows you've recently watched, but you might have an easier time getting to grips with Roku's interface if you don't mind searching for something interesting. take care of yourself.
The user interface also provides easy access to plenty of free content, and we found search to work fine, even if it's not as robust as Google's OS. We also like the Roku mobile app, which allows you to control your device and listen privately using headphones. As with any streaming player, there are ads scattered throughout the user interface, although Roku is at least a little less aggressive with them than Amazon is with its Fire TV devices.
Several other Roku devices are still available at Black Friday prices, including Roku Express 4K+ (which lacks Dolby Vision HDR) for $24 and Year of Ultra (which has a larger body, full Atmos support, and a more advanced remote) for $79. For most people who want visit the city of RokuHowever, the Streaming Stick 4K should be the better solution.
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