Apple versus Roku. I’ve covered Apple versus Apple, and Roku versus Roku, but I’ve yet to give the Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra 4K their own limelight in which to do battle. If any two streaming devices deserve their own head-to-head, it’s the best two on the market.
head to head
To remove as many variables as possible from the side-by-side testing, I tested both the Roku Ultra 4K and Apple TV 4K through a TCL QM7, a 55-inch 4K TV with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, paired with a Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar (via the TCL’s HDMI eARC port) and Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer. I used the same high-speed Verizon FIOS fiber-optic internet for the internet connection on both devices.
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The Apple TV 4K was the fastest streaming player I tested , faster even than the Roku Ultra 4K. But it cost nearly twice the price of the Roku, and while not as fast, the Roku Ultra 4K is still plenty fast. It was the second speediest streaming box I’ve tested.
There are two sub-models of the Apple TV 4K. You have to purchase the more expensive, 128GB version to gain an Ethernet port if you want to use a wired internet connection. That means tacking another $20 onto the $129 price of the 64GB version, making an already expensive streaming box even more expensive.
You can reliably pick up the Roku Ultra 4k for about $80, and there’s only one version available. It comes with an Ethernet port, along with the standard Wi-Fi. That’s not much more than half the cost of the Apple.
It only contains 4GB of internal storage, but that’s of little concern for the vast majority of people. It’s more than enough if all you want to do is load streaming channels to watch TV shows, movies, documentaries, and live TV. The Apple’s greater storage comes into play if you want to install a lot of games.
The Roku has the best remotes in the business, with intuitive button layout, best-in-class ergonomics for long sessions of indecisive scrolling, and hands-free, voice-activated controls. It also has the unceasingly charming Roku City screensaver, packed with Easter eggs.
The Apple TV 4K wins on speed and the rarely needed internal storage, but the Roku Ultra 4K wins on its user interface, remote control, and price. That’s why I named the Roku Ultra 4K the best 4K streaming device you can buy.
