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Roku Streaming Stick Review

4.5
Outstanding
By Will Greenwald

The Bottom Line

Roku's latest Streaming Stick is a tiny, fast, full-featured media streamer that adds some interesting new features thanks to a companion mobile app.

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Pros

  • Inexpensive.
  • Functional.
  • Responsive.
  • Lots of services available.
  • Private listening with Roku app and mobile device.

Cons

  • No 4K support.
  • Doesn't have headphone jack on remote.

Roku has rolled out a new Streaming Stick, its inexpensive, back-of-the-television answer to media streamer boxes like the Apple TV ($148.38 at Amazon) . It's slimmer, faster, and has more features than the original, all for the same $49.99 price tag. It still doesn't have a remote with a headphone jack for private listening like the Roku 3 ($113.95 at Amazon) , or a microphone for voice search like the Amazon Fire TV Stick With Voice Remote ( at Amazon) , but the Roku app fills in those gaps quite well.

Smaller and Sleeker
The new Roku Streaming Stick is a tiny, black rectangle that measures 2.8 by 0.8 by 0.4 inches (HWD), which is significantly smaller than previous purple version (3.2 inches by 1.1 by 0.4 inches). This makes it easier to fit into cramped HDMI ports, surrounded by cables. One end has an HDMI connector for plugging the stick into your television, while the other end has a micro USB port for powering the device. The stick comes with a USB-to-micro USB cable and a wall adapter, though you can also plug the cable into a free USB port on your television if no power outlet is convenient. The micro USB cable on the connector is placed at a right angle, so you can run it straight to your television's USB port without it looping outward.

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Remote Control
The included remote communicates with the stick over radio instead of IR, so you can point it anywhere and it will work as long as it's within about 30 feet of the device. It's a standard Roku design of a flat, black, slightly curved rectangle dominated by a large purple navigation pad. Home and Back buttons sit above the pad, while playback controls, Option, and Replay buttons sit below it. Four dedicated service buttons are located under the playback controls, offering one-touch access to Amazon, Google Play, Netflix, and Sling TV. Despite the wireless connection, the remote doesn't stream audio or include a headphone jack like the remote used with the Roku 3 or the Roku 4 ($129.00 at Amazon) .

Roku Streaming Stick

Roku App and Private Listening
You can also use your smartphone or tablet to control the Streaming Stick with the free Roku app for Android and iOS. The app functions as a remote control, letting you input text using your mobile device's touch screen, and can even stream media from your device to the stick with the Play On Roku feature. Play On Roku is a bit more limited than Google Cast with a Chromecast ($45.98 at Walmart)  or using a device that supports full screen mirroring, since it can only stream media that's locally stored on your device, but it's a handy option to have in addition to all of the streaming services available. The app also adds voice search, using your smartphone's microphone to input search terms.

While you can't plug your headphones into the remote to listen to what you're watching like you can with the Roku 3 or Roku 4, you can use the Roku app to offer the same private listening experience with your smartphone. This feature is only available with the new Roku Streaming Stick, and it streams the audio the stick would usually send out to your television through your mobile device's headphone jack instead. It's a nice option to have, and worked perfectly with my smartphone and headphones.

What to Watch
The Roku Channel Store offers a wide selection of hundreds of apps and services. The biggest names in video streaming are all here, including Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, Twitch, Vudu, and YouTube. There are also audience- and network-specific apps, including all major broadcast networks, HBO Go, and a slew of channels focusing on individual genres, locations, and even churches. Music is well-represented as well, with Amazon, Google Play, iHeartRadio, Pandora, and Spotify all available. The only big name missing is iTunes, because the Roku Streaming Stick isn't manufactured by Apple (you won't find iTunes on any media streamer that isn't the Apple TV).

Roku Menu

The interface is very easy to navigate. The home screen displays all installed apps as large tiles on the right, with a column on the left, separated into categories for browsing. You can search for a specific movie or television show, track the availability of new releases in My Feed (which provides information about streaming services getting films you want to watch, or price drops in video-on-demand titles), browse Fandango for movies and shows, and see recent news videos aggregated from multiple sources. And, of course, you can go into your streaming service of choice and use its own app to find what you want manually.

Faster Watching
The new Roku Streaming Stick uses a quad-core processor, making it much faster and more responsive than the previous model and its slower CPU. The increased power is notable: Both jumping in and out of various services and navigating the Roku Channel Store feels snappy. It can't work miracles, though; the stick is limited to 1080p content (though it also supports 720p). If you want 4K, you need to spend at least twice as much to get an Amazon Fire TV ( at Amazon) or a Roku 4. There aren't any consumer streaming sticks right now that can stream in 4K; you need a larger box to do the trick.

Roku's newest Streaming Stick is a distinct, if subtle, improvement over the previous version in every way. It's smaller, faster, can access all of the same apps and services as the original, and it has a few new tricks, all for the same price. It's worth replacing your previous Roku Streaming Stick considering its low price and notable advantages. The Google Chromecast is a less expensive alternative that's earned our Editors' Choice, but it's a device that requires a bit more technical knowledge to use; it has no remote or on-screen menu system, so you need to use a smartphone or tablet to control it. This makes the Chromecast a powerful platform with a great deal of app support, but people who don't live and breathe with their smartphones can find it a bit strange. The Roku Streaming Stick works out of the box with its own remote, making it more accessible and simpler to set up and enjoy, while still packing plenty of power with its mobile app. It's also an excellent alternative to the Amazon Fire TV Stick, though the Fire stick remains our Editors' Choice for its included voice remote and Alexa voice assistant features. Frankly, you can't go wrong with either device if you want a simple, affordable way to watch streaming media on your television.

Roku Streaming Stick
4.5
Pros
  • Inexpensive.
  • Functional.
  • Responsive.
  • Lots of services available.
  • Private listening with Roku app and mobile device.
View More
Cons
  • No 4K support.
  • Doesn't have headphone jack on remote.
The Bottom Line

Roku's latest Streaming Stick is a tiny, fast, full-featured media streamer that adds some interesting new features thanks to a companion mobile app.

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About Will Greenwald

Lead Analyst, Consumer Electronics

I’ve been PCMag’s home entertainment expert for over 10 years, covering both TVs and everything you might want to connect to them. I’ve reviewed more than a thousand different consumer electronics products including headphones, speakers, TVs, and every major game system and VR headset of the last decade. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified home theater professional, and I’m here to help you understand 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you don’t need to worry about 8K at all for at least a few more years).

Read Will's full bio

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Roku Streaming Stick $59.99 at Amazon
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