Roku Streaming Stick + Review

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Fast Specs

Roku Streaming Stick +

High-performance and portability
Brilliant picture quality
Smoother streaming with a long-range wireless receiver
Stream free TV, live news, sports, music, movies, and more
Voice remote with TV controls

A test unit was provided to Rapid Reviews for the purposes of review

I’ve had the chance to test out the Roku Streaming Stick + for the past week. Having not used a Roku product before, it was interesting to see how it differs from that of the Amazon Fire TV Stick. Let’s see what I thought.

Quick & Easy Set-Up

The thing I absolutely loved about the Roku Streaming Stick + is the fact that it’s so easy to set up. There are a few different components in the box that can make it look a lot more difficult than it actually is. These components simply fit together and in it plugs into the back of your tv via an HDMI port and then into a plug socket. Simple.

Once it’s all connected, the Roku takes you straight to the set-up screen where it will walk you through everything; how to connect the remote, how to set up voice control, how to sign up etc… In a matter of 10 minutes, the Roku Streaming Stick + was ready to go.

Powerful & Portable

One of the ways the Roku Streaming Stick + differs from the Amazon Fire TV Stick is that it comes pre-packaged with a long-range wireless receiver, that gives you 4x the wireless range, meaning that no matter what room you have the Roku in, it will still have a fantastic internet connection. This is something that works, hands down and I feel should be featured with any streaming stick.

The Roku Streaming Stick + optimises its picture quality to your TV so whether you have a 4K HDR TV or just normal HDMI you can be sure that you’re going to be getting the best picture quality possible on all your apps. It was great testing this on my 4K TV and watching my shows in 4K was a real treat.

Perhaps the best thing about the Roku Streaming Stick + is just how portable it is. It won’t take up much room in your bag and it’s just plug in and ready to go. So it’s perfect to go between houses or even taking to hotels if you’re on a business trip!

Voice Control At Your Fingertips

The Roku Streaming Stick + comes with a neat, little remote control. Powered by 2 AAA batteries (that were included, which was nice) this remote has everything you need; all the buttons to navigate the Roku’s menus, as well as some cool other features. 4 long buttons at the bottom of the remote control will allow you to open an app without navigating through menus; Netflix, Rakuten TV, Google Play and Spotify. I found myself using the Netflix button more than the others.

Firstly, this little controller has voice control. Simply press a button and ask for what you want – for example, “Open Netflix”. Netflix will open pretty much instantly, the same goes for anything else you ask for. It works a lot better than a lot of other voice-controlled remotes I’ve used. Not once did it misunderstand what I was saying.

The winning feature of the remote control for me was the fact I could use it to control my TV too, not just the Roku. You can easily program the controller to turn your TVs volume up and down, mute all sound as well as switching your TV on and off – game changer.

Not Just For TV

The Roku Streaming Stick + can be used to watch many different channels, but that’s not all you can do. The Roku can also be used to play games on. Okay, they’re not amazing games and a lot of them you have to pay for but it might be something to keep the kids busy when they have gotten bored of watching Disney+.

The Roku’s home screen can be customised also with themes and wallpapers to change its look and also choosing what apps appear. I love customising anything so this had my mind blown.

Amazon vs Roku

Overall, the Roku Streaming Stick + is the perfect addition to any household, featuring a lot of things to keep you entertained (I found an app to watch live feeds of anywhere in the world, including space stations, amazing). There are a lot of ways I believe the Roku trumps the Amazon stick and I personally will be making the Roku my go-to streaming device.

Rapid Reviews Rating

You can purchase your own Roku Streaming Stick + for £49.99 here.