The Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Roku Ultra 4K Compared

You’ve settled on Roku as your streaming device of choice. Good taste, you have. Of all the streaming device ecosystems—Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV—Roku’s is my favorite. It’s the most playful and the most intuitive.

And you want the best Roku streamer so that it can play your TV shows and movies in 4K resolution. The final obstacle is that there are two Roku streamers at the top of Roku’s lineup—one a stick and the other a box.

Make the choice soon so that you can get to watching what really matters: picking out the Easter eggs of Roku City.

the differences

The Ultra 4K packs a more powerful processor, and so I noticed that it felt snappier and quicker when using it compared to using the Streaming Stick 4K. Screen changes came more quickly when navigating the Roku’s home screen and apps. It also offers an Ethernet port if you prefer a wired connection over Wi-Fi, though it supports Wi-Fi as well.

Both devices support Dolby Vision and HDR, two premium imaging technologies for the best-quality 4K streaming, but only the Ultra 4K supports Dolby Atmos, a premium audio technology.

If you’re only listening through your TV’s speakers, it won’t matter. TV speakers are universally junk, tinny, and small-sounding. But you should really upgrade to a soundbar and subwoofer, or at least a soundbar. It makes a world of difference, and having the Ultra 4K’s Dolby Atmos support for those movies and shows that support it makes a noticeable improvement.

The Streaming Stick 4K tucks away more cleanly behind a TV than the Ultra 4K. That means it’s easier to hide, especially on a wall-mounted TV, where there might not be a nearby surface to hold the Ultra 4K. Just remember that you’ll still need to find a way to hide the black power cord that hangs down from the Streaming Stick 4K.

When it comes down to making the choice, there’s the price differential, yes. The Ultra 4K is usually “on sale” at an ever-present discount to $80, while the Streaming Stick 4K is often $30-40. Given that you’ll easily get five years out of a streaming device before it’s worth upgrading to a new one, I wouldn’t call the price tag the most significant difference between them, even if the box costs twice as much as the stick.

Choose the Ultra 4K for the very best performance, and choose the Streaming Stick 4K if you have nowhere near the TV where you could sit or hide the Ultra 4K, or if you want to take a Roku with you for traveling.