Roku just opened pre-orders for its revised Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus players. These upgraded streaming devices, which start at $30, are “over 35% smaller” than Amazon’s Fire TV Stick and may be a handy option for frequent travelers.
These new Streaming Sticks offer the same functionality as Roku’s previousExpress and Express 4K Plus players(and have replaced the Express devices in Roku’s lineup). So, the standardRoku Streaming Stickdelivers 1080p video, comes with a voice remote, and supports DTS Digital Surround audio. TheRoku Streaming Stick Plusoffers a 4K video resolution with HDR enhancement, but otherwise, it’s identical to the standard Roku Streaming Stick.
Those who want 4K video with Dolby Vision can upgrade to theRoku Streaming Stick 4K, which costs $50. But if you want Dolby Atmos audio, you have to spring for the $100Roku Ultra—the only set-top box in Roku’s 2025 catalog.
On that note, Roku now sells just five external streaming devices. There’s the new Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus, the older Streaming Stick 4K, the fancy Roku Ultra, and theStreambar SEstreamer-in-a-soundbar. Three of these devices are super-slim “sticks,” which are a more convenient option for wall-mounted TVs, at least from a cable management perspective. Roku also wants to push its Streaming Sticks as a portable solution for travel, parties, and such—these are the smallest brand-name streaming devices available today, so it’s a reasonable sales pitch, although it’s a slightly niche idea.
Since we’re on the topic of portability, I should point out that these new Streaming Sticks still require USB power. I don’t know why Roku omitted power cables from its product photography andannouncement video, but yeah, the portability sales pitch is a little more complicated than Roku is making it out to be. To be fair, the company says that these devices are more efficient than previous Roku streamers (the cheapest Streaming Stick runs at just 2.2 watts), so they should be compatible with the USB ports on practically all TVs.
Along with these new Streaming Sticks, Roku has announced atrio of new smart TVswith sizes up to 85 inches, an upcoming sports highlights system for the Roku OS home screen, and somebeefed-up smart security cameras.
Plus, Roku OS is finally coming to smart projectors. A “Roku TV Smart Projector reference design” is now available to partner brands who will (presumably) begin selling Roku projectors within the next year or two. I’m happy to see that Android TV is finally getting some real competition in the smart projector market, but I also havea lot of complaintsabout smart projectors, so I have mixed feelings about this particular announcement.
Roku’s newStreaming StickandStreaming Stick Plusare available for pre-order today. They cost $30 and $40, respectively, and launch on May 6th. If you want to save a few bucks, I suggest that you buy the now-discontinuedRoku ExpressorExpress 4K Plus, as they’re almost identical to the new Streaming Sticks and are currently on clearance at Amazon.
Roku Streaming Stick Plus
Roku’s Streaming Stick Plus is the thinnest 4K streaming stick available today. It comes with a Voice Remote, and its ultra-slim design is perfect for frequent travelers as well as those who want to keep their wall-mounted TV as clean-looking as possible.
