Roku now makes his own TVs. The Roku Select and Plus series televisions were announced at CES in January and are on shelves this week. There are 11 Roku TVs in total, spanning two different lineups and ranging between 24 and 75 inches. Prices start at $150 and end at $1,200. These new Roku models are currently only available at Best Buy stores or online.
The Roku Select series is the baseline, available in a mix of HD and 4K models. The HD versions start at $150 for a 24-inch TV and offer sizes up to 40 inches, which costs $280. 4K offerings start at 43 inches for $320 and go all the way up to 75 inches for $800. The HD TVs come equipped with Roku Voice remotes, while the 4K sets offer an enhanced Roku Voice Remote, which provides private listening through wired headphones and adds a lost remote control – a feature that was once exclusive to the Voice Remote Pro. Both remotes are superior to the basic ones found on competing entry-level Roku smart TVs like the TCL 4 series.
The Roku Plus Series is the step-up option with a full 4K lineup, with picture-enhancing extras such as Dolby Vision high dynamic range, local dimming, QLED for enhanced colors, Dolby Atmos-certified speakers and a Voice Control Pro. The Plus series also supports private listening via Bluetooth headphones paired directly to the TV, a feature that has long been available with competing Google TV and Amazon Fire TV models. The Roku Plus Series comes in a 55-inch model for $650, a 65-inch version for $800, and a 75-inch option for $1,200.
These TVs are Roku’s first foray into TV production. Previously, Roku was content to work closely with its partners to market Roku-branded TVs. Those TVs from TCL, Hisense, Sharp and others offer a range of formats and picture enhancements. According to Roku, those partnerships aren’t going away.
“These Roku-branded TVs will not only complement the current lineup of partner brand Roku TV models, but also enable us to enable future smart TV innovations,” said Mustafa Ozgen , the president of devices at Roku, in a January press release.
Roku has partnered with Best Buy to offer its new products exclusively, so they’re not available at Amazon, Walmart, Target, or other retailers for now. Amazon followed a similar path when it released its own branded TVs in 2021 Burn TV Omni And Fire TV 4 series download were initially only sold at Best Buy and on Amazon, while Fire TVs from other partners were sold at different stores.
So far it looks like Roku won’t be pushing the tech limits of its TVs, so don’t expect top-tier picture quality. While the Plus Series TVs come with local dimming and QLED, which should help improve picture quality, the company hasn’t revealed many more details about these TVs’ picture-enhancing extras. For example, we don’t know exactly how many zones there are.
Currently, TCL’s 6 Series Roku TV is the most technologically advanced Roku-branded TV available – and CNET’s choice for the best tv for the money. The latest version includes mini-LED technology with up to 448 local dimming zones, a native 120 Hz refresh rate and game-friendly options, including a 4K/120Hz input. However, the price is higher than the new Roku-branded TVs, with a 65-inch model priced at $1,000.
We look forward to reviewing the new Roku TV soon.