Roku holds the largestmarket sharein the United States for streaming media players, commanding almost half the market. It’s no surprise, then, that the streaming device company is constantly iterating on its most popular products, hoping to keep the lineup fresh and exciting for existing users looking to upgrade or new adopters that might come into the fold.
The newest generation of the Roku Ultra has just been released, representing the first update to Roku’s top-of-the-line streamer since 2021. As a daily user of Roku’s 2021 edition of the Ultra, I was curious to see what Roku brought to the table with this latest refresh.
Roku Ultra (2024)
The Roku Ultra has refreshed for the first time since 2021. A new backlit remote, faster performance, and Wi-Fi 6 support separate this 2024 edition from the past generation.
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Price, availability, and specs
The Roku Ultra retails for $100, and is available from Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Roku.
The 2024 edition of the Roku Ultra is remarkably similar to the previous 2021 edition. The only standout new features on the Ultra streaming device itself is a connectivity upgrade to Wi-Fi 6, and an unspecified speed boost over the previous generation. Roku has not made clear what this is due to, and specs on the internals such as the processor are unavailable.
Aside from these additions, the Roku Ultra carries the specs you’d expect of a top-shelf streaming device. It supports an Ethernet connection with speeds up to 100Mbps and carries HDMI and USB connections. The Roku Ultra supports 4K in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound, which is crucial for those whose TVs or projectors support these formats.
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What I liked about the 2024 Roku Ultra
Faster performance
As a regular user of the 2021 edition, I have to say I immediately noticed the performance boost while testing this refreshed model. Streaming service apps launched much faster from the Roku menu, and navigating menus was faster and smoother. In quick succession, I opened app after app, navigating to the home page between each launch, and each launch was noticeably faster than on my normal daily model.
The new backlit remote
I actually had the chance to test the newRoku Voice Remote Proat the beginning of the summer when it first launched, and I’m thrilled to see it included now with the updated Roku Ultra. After months of using it every day, I still love the new backlight, which means I never struggle to see what I’m doing on the remote in the dark.
I also love not dealing with batteries anymore and just recharge the remote via USB-C, though I’m happy to report that in all these months, I’ve only had to charge it twice.
Another feature I’m a bit embarrassed to say I use quite often is the lost remote finder. A convenient button on the side of the Roku player will turn your remote into an absolute chirping, screaming nightmare. Both my dog and wife hate it, but I always end up finding the remote.
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What I didn’t like about the 2024 Roku Ultra
Still no Gigabit Ethernet
Both theApple TV 4Kand theGoogle TV Streamersupport 1000Mbps Ethernet, otherwise known as Gigabit Ethernet. The fact that Roku has refreshed the Ultra after 3 years and still didn’t spring for Gigabit Ethernet, despite the measly cents per unit it would cost the company, is a missed opportunity in my opinion.
While Roku might argue that the 100Mbps the Ethernet port supports is plenty for most 4K streaming services, I think the opportunity to future-proof the Ultra for high-bitrate 4K content or even 8K content was overlooked. Of course, Roku might simply prefer to sell you yet another upgrade when that sort of content becomes more ubiquitous.
Verdict: Should you buy the 2024 Roku Ultra?
The 2024 edition of the Roku Ultra reasserts itself as one of the best streaming devices on the market today and still represents Roku’s strongest offering. It remains a streamer that I would recommend to anyone in the market for a streaming device who doesn’t already own one or owns a much more basic model.
However, if you already have a Roku Ultra, particularly the 2021 edition which added support for Dolby Vision, then you’re really not missing much with this new version. If the new remote intrigues you, it can be purchased separately.
I’m hopeful that future iterations will add support for Gigabit Ethernet, and that we’ll see some more innovations and features brought to the Ultra platform.
