Write a Review for Roku Express From Walmartcom+

Roku's Express 4K Plus is our new become-to Roku selection.

Sarah Tew/CNET

May 2021

For years our favorite streaming device has been the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, but now we have a new favorite. The company'southward latest streamer, the Roku Express 4K Plus, sets a higher bar for features and value, beating out not only the Streaming Stick Plus but other affordable streamers like Google's $50 Chromecast with Google TV and Amazon's $50 Fire TV Stick 4K.

At present playing: Picket this: Which Roku Is the Go-To? We Break It Downward

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Simple Roku interface? Check. 4K HDR streaming? Check. Wired Ethernet support with an optional adapter? Yup. Cheaper cost? At $forty compared to the Streaming Stick Plus' $l sticker price, the Express 4K Plus has that, too (although the Stick is oft on sale for $40 also). After using the device for a few days, watching everything from Netflix and Disney Plus to Apple TV Plus, and yeah, YouTube TV, I can say the Roku Limited 4K Plus deserves CNET's Editors' Option award as the best streaming device for the coin.

Similar

• Super simple, app-based menus
• Cheaper than 4K HDR rivals
• Fast and responsive
• Ethernet support (with third-political party adapter)

Don't Similar

• No Dolby Vision support
• Roku'due south voice assistant remains weaker than rivals from Amazon, Apple tree and Google.

A simple, familiar pattern

Everything you need is included in the box.

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As with other recent refreshes, such every bit Roku's 2020 Ultra or Apple'southward new Apple Television set 4K, the exterior of the Limited 4K Plus will await awfully familiar. It'south slightly larger but keeps the half-moon dongle blueprint of the cheaper, HD-only Limited, and on the rear, there's an HDMI output and a Micro-USB port for ability, also equally a reset push.

The front end is sleeky and nondescript, with just a single indicator light. The bottom is where you can apply the included agglutinative strip to attach the miniature box to the back or bottom of your Television. Considering the Express 4K Plus ships with Roku's "point anywhere" vox remote, you can hide the box pretty much anywhere almost your TV and information technology will still work -- information technology doesn't require directly line-of-sight to control the player.

Sarah Tew/CNET

In my testing I had the Express 4K Plus placed behind a few-years-quondam Samsung 4K TV and encountered no issues controlling information technology with the remote. I was also able to ability the Roku directly from my Samsung's built-in USB port, no power adapter required. Using the device with a 2019 TCL 6-Series Roku TV similarly produced no issues. Assuming you lot accept a fairly contempo TV with a 5V USB port, the Roku should work fine hiding using your Television set's power.

In addition to the tape, Roku includes Micro-USB and HDMI cables and AAA batteries for the remote, along with a wall adapter for power in instance you need to use that instead. Keeping the Roku plugged into the wall for power, as opposed to your Television receiver, can also save a few seconds of boot-upward time.

While it would've been nice for Roku to finally comprehend USB-C, on this device -- which is meant to be plugged into your television and left solitary -- I don't mind the apply of the aging port.

The remote has the aforementioned simple layout and design found on other Rokus, with TV book controls on the right-hand side. There is no rechargeable bombardment or always-listening microphone (for that you'll demand to beat out out another $thirty for the company's Voice Remote Pro), merely it is a perfectly practiced controller that paired instantly with both the Express 4K Plus and easily controlled volume, mute and power on my TV.

The simply real difference I noticed was a new shortcut key: this remote has the new Apple Television receiver Plus push button to go along with dedicated keys for Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu.

Note: An Express 4K without the "Plus" in the name will be available for $35 at Walmart. The just difference betwixt this device and that i is the Express 4K Plus comes with this better remote equally opposed to a simple, IR i that lacks vox and TV command. I'd recommend spending the extra $5 to get the Express 4K Plus.

Solid 4K HDR streaming

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Running on Roku's latest Os 10 software, the interface is largely the same as all its recent devices, complete with the same shortcomings such as the limitations of its voice assistant compared to those of Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant.

That said, all the apps I tried on the Express 4K Plus seemed to open and load quickly and painlessly. I had no problems opening shows or movies on Disney Plus, Netflix or Apple tree TV Plus, and playback of a baseball game on MLB.TV or a Champions League soccer match on YouTube Tv set both opened and loaded chop-chop. I noticed it was also slightly zippier opening apps compared to my Streaming Stick Plus.

(I was able to get YouTube Tv to reinstall from a backup of older Rokus despite the company' ongoing carriage dispute with Google, which has besides added a way to watch YouTube TV through the regular YouTube app.)

I had to go into my Television receiver's settings to make sure my Samsung was prepare properly to HDMI UHD Color to enable 4K HDR. One time that was fix up, the Roku was able to take advantage of the higher quality streams. I had no such issues setting upwardly 4K HDR on the TCL.

I was equally impressed with how well the Express 4K Plus handled Apple AirPlay, which, as with all recent Rokus, is bachelor on the device. Streaming videos off of YouTube or mimicking my iPhone's screen worked fine, and I was even able to play games cast from an iPhone via Apple Arcade or the Xbox Deject Gaming iOS beta.

The sometime worked a lot better than the latter, and while the Roku isn't designed to play games, it worked well enough casting that I do wonder if apps for cloud-based gaming could be in Roku's futurity.

Also new on this Express 4K Plus is the ability to connect Ethernet, a feature that on its players has nearly recently been limited to its Ultra boxes. As with other streaming players like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. I used a $12 cable from a visitor chosen UGreen. With this, I but plugged in the cable to the Roku's micro-USB port, connected the adapter's USB power to my Boob tube's USB port and plugged in an Ethernet cablevision.

The big divergence between this and the Ultra is that the Limited 4K Plus lacks Dolby Vision back up. Seeing as how rival $50 streamers such equally Google'due south Chromecast with Google TV and Amazon'due south Burn down Tv Stick 4K both support Dolby Vision, it would have been great to come across Roku include it here. On the other hand, nosotros don't consider Dolby Vision a must-accept, in part because it'south not a major image quality upgrade over standard HDR.

Dolby Atmos sound is supported by the Limited Plus 4K on sure apps if you have the proper sound system.

Roku Express 4K Plus vs. Roku Streaming Stick Plus

The Limited 4K Plus and its remote, left, next to the Streaming Stick Plus

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The biggest question for those looking at Roku'southward lineup is probably which of these two devices you lot should purchase. Every bit mentioned, Roku prices the Express 4K Plus at $40 while the Streaming Stick Plus still sells for $50 (though it is sometimes on sale for around $40). What does that $ten difference get you? Well, non a whole lot.

On its website, Roku touts that the Streaming Stick Plus is more portable, "cracking for wall-mounted" televisions and features "long-range wireless." Given that the Express 4K Plus has a voice remote and can easily constrict under or behind a Television receiver, I don't notice the portability to be a major selling indicate.

Roku as well never quantifies the Wi-Fi improvement, and nosotros had a hard fourth dimension finding a departure the last time the company touted wireless performance in our most recent review of the Streaming Stick Plus. The Wi-Fi on the Express 4K Plus works fine, and unlike the Streaming Stick Plus, this device is uniform with Ethernet adapters for wired connections if needed.

My option? Relieve the $10 and become the Express 4K Plus.

Roku Express 4K Plus or Chromecast with Google Tv set?

Google's Chromecast with Google TV is the closest competitor to Roku's players. Nosotros compared the latest Chromecast with Roku'southward Streaming Stick Plus in December, and while Google'south player has excellent search and phonation command, it was hard to beat Roku'south super-uncomplicated interface.

While it remains to be seen what kind of updates Google will give its revamped Google Television platform at its I/O developer conference, for now, Roku remains the option for almost people, especially when you lot consider the Express 4K Plus is $x cheaper than Google's player.

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Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/roku-express-4k-plus-review-the-new-go-to-roku/

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