Summary
- The Roku Ultra (2024) offers snappy performance while being the most affordable premium streamer on the market.
- The backlit remote is a great touch, especially with hands-free voice capabilities.
- Wi-Fi 6 is good to have, but there’s no reason Ethernet should be limited to 10/100 in 2024.
The year is 2024, and I haven’t had cable in over five years at this point. All of my content is consumed through a streaming media player, and the latest 2024 Roku Ultra has almost convinced me to ditch my Apple TV 4K.
Roku Ultra (2024)
$79 $100 Save
$21
The Roku Ultra (2024) offers a compelling feature set with Wi-Fi 6, HDMI 2.1b, and a snappy user experience. While the UI could still use a more modern update, and the 10/100 Ethernet port is quite outdated, the overall feel of the Roku Ultra is fantastic. The Voice Remote Pro is now backlit and features a quick access button alongside hands-free voice actions and more. Plus, the Roku Ultra can pair to Bluetooth headphones and speakers.
- Snappy UI
- Wi-Fi 6
- Backlit Remote
- USB-C Rechargeable Remote
- HDMI 2.1b
- 10/100 Ethernet
- Slightly clunky UI still
Price and Availability
The 2024 Roku Ultra can be purchased for $99.99 MSRP, though it can often be found on sale for $79.99 at places like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and directly from Roku.
Setup Is Simple and Only Takes a Few Minutes
After unboxing the latest Roku Ultra, I was pleasantly surprised at how simple the setup was. The software walked me through the configuration step-by-step, including pairing the remote in case it’s not paired out of the box.
I chose to use Ethernet during setup to avoid having to type in my Wi-Fi password, which I would recommend to anyone. The built-in keyboard within the Roku operating system is ABC and not QWERTY, and it was a nightmare to try and navigate when logging into various apps later on. So, save yourself the headache and plug into Ethernet during setup.
Overall, however, the setup was simple. During setup, Roku offers you a slew of discounts or free trials for pre-installed apps like Apple TV+, Disney+, and others in case you haven’t tried those services yet.
Performance So Good It Almost Made Me Give Up My Apple TV
The most impressive part of the Roku Ultra, to me, was the performance. My daily streaming media player is an Apple TV 4K (an older model, but still with plenty of power.) I’ve never felt the snappiness of my Apple TV to be less than desirable. That is until I used the Roku Ultra.
The performance of Roku’s latest premium streaming media player was honestly something I wasn’t expecting. Previously, when I used Roku devices, including the brand’s Streambar, I was never impressed with the performance. I always felt like Roku was just inherently slow. The Ultra disproved this for me. And honestly, it has almost single-handedly converted me from Apple TV to Roku.
Clicking on apps loads them almost instantly. Navigating the interface is nice and snappy, and moving around settings is fluid as well. The only time I was ever really left “waiting” on something was when it would have to buffer media playback, but I found out that was due to my network and not the Roku.
Why Did Roku Think 10/100 Ethernet Was a Good Choice in 2024?
Speaking on the topic of networking, I was actually sorely disappointed with Roku here. Yes, Wi-Fi 6 is available for wireless connections–and Wi-Fi is the only way this Roku Ultra should be used. I know that I said to use Ethernet for setup, and I stand by that statement. But, once you’re connected and set up, pair your phone and connect the Ultra to your home’s Wi-Fi network so you can use your phone’s keyboard to type your password.
Why, you may ask? Well, for whatever reason, Roku chose to make the Ethernet port on the Ultra 10/100. Yes, it maxes out at 100Mbps. In 2024, on a premium device, Roku didn’t include Gigabit Ethernet. Honestly, the Ethernet port could have been left off entirely, and I wouldn’t have dinged the Ultra for it. I always prefer to run my devices wired, and that’s how I started off using the Ultra. Quickly after that, however, I moved to wireless.
When doing the built-in speed tests, I got around 93Mbps download speed on the Ultra when using it over Ethernet. Switching to Wi-Fi 6 upped those speeds to 290Mbps, which is over three times as fast. Why Roku would choose to only make the Ethernet port 10/100 is beyond me, but it’s there, so outside of setup, Ethernet should be ignored on the Ultra, in my opinion.
Roku’s Interface Has Gotten Better but Still Has Room for Improvement
Actually, using the Roku Ultra was a pretty pleasant experience. The UI is nice and fluid but a little clunky still. While the UI is snappy, I still feel it hasn’t been brought into 2024 yet.
On my Apple TV, all the apps are front-and-center. Settings is a separate app, and all the icons are nice and large. With Roku, even on the 2024 Ultra, you have to click into a tab that says “Home” before you can browse through your installed apps. Live TV is a separate tab under home, and there are a multitude of different tabs available. It clutters up the interface and makes things a bit more confusing than they have to be, I think.
I would love to see Roku work to streamline the UI. I don’t think Roku needs to directly copy Apple. But, instead of the current UI with the menu tabs off to the left, I think Roku could easily move it to the top and have it so you could just switch between the tabs by going left and right. Doing this would allow for the UI to be more streamlined, put your apps front and center, and allow you to navigate the device more easily.
As a final example, I rarely used the live TV function. I never clicked the sports tab, and the other apps tabs where you could browse for more apps were useless to me. If I wanted to browse those things, I just used the home tab to go through and find whichever app I needed. Just about everything you need on the Roku Ultra is available via the home tab and the side menu, meaning there’s redundant access that just adds extra complexity that I think could easily be simplified.
Why Did It Take This Long to Get a Backlit Remote?
The second-generation Roku Voice Remote Pro is honestly one of the best streaming remotes I’ve used to date. The buttons are nice, easy to distinguish, and have a solid click. However, my favorite thing about the Voice Remote Pro is that it’s backlit. Why did it take this long to get a backlit remote?
Either way, the Voice Remote Pro’s keys are all backlit, outside the side volume and mute keys. This makes finding the specific button you want to click in the dark an easy feat. Add to that the fact that the Voice Remote Pro supports hands-free voice controls, and you might not even need to pick up the remote anymore. There’s also a side slider to disable the hands-free voice controls if you don’t want to use them.
In addition to the backlit functionality and hands-free voice controls, you’ll also find that the Voice Remote Pro recharges over USB-C (yay!), works your TV via IR or HDMI CEC, and also has some quick access shortcuts. The normal buttons are there, like Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, and the Roku Channel. But, in addition to those, there’s now a Guide button and a little rocket ship icon.
This is a change from the original Voice Pro Remote. The previous generation had a 1 and 2 button, which could be customized to do something specific. Now, the rocket ship button launches a quick access panel that can be customized with whatever you want in it. You aren’t just limited to one or two apps this time around, instead you can pick any number of apps to keep on quick access.
The guide button is one that I honestly won’t find useful myself, as I don’t watch live TV. But, it does function well, brings you right to the live TV guide, and you can then pick from any free TV channel to watch there.
Should You Buy the 2024 Roku Ultra?
If we take a look at all three of the premium streamers from Roku, Amazon, and Apple, the 2024 Ultra is by far the most affordable. At its MSRP of $99.99 and sale price of $79.99 often, you’ll find that it’s $30 less than the entry-level Apple TV 4K, and it’s $40 cheaper than the Fire TV Cube.
Given that, I would say that if you’re in the market for a 4K streaming device, the Roku Ultra stands up to the test and is a solid choice. While I would change some UI elements, and I wish it had Gigabit Ethernet, those aren’t dealbreakers for me.
Personally, if I were buying a new streamer right now, the 2024 Roku Ultra would be extremely tempting for me, as it’s currently $49 less than the cheapest Apple TV 4K. And $49 is a solid saving for not much compromise.
Roku Ultra (2024)
$79 $100 Save
$21
The Roku Ultra (2024) offers a compelling feature set with Wi-Fi 6, HDMI 2.1b, and a snappy user experience. While the UI could still use a more modern update, and the 10/100 Ethernet port is quite outdated, the overall feel of the Roku Ultra is fantastic. The Voice Remote Pro is now backlit and features a quick access button alongside hands-free voice actions and more. Plus, the Roku Ultra can pair to Bluetooth headphones and speakers.
