Roku Streaming Stick Plus review: The sweet spot for upgraders

If you don't mind Roku's user interface, this is the best Roku streaming stick to buy if you want 4K HDR but don't care about Dolby Vision.

- JARED NEWMAN

Roku ships the same basic Voice Remote with all of its lower-end players.

At a list price of $40—and often on sale for less—the Roku Streaming Stick Plus hits a sweet spot.

It’s not the cheapest streaming dongle Roku sells, but it's the least expensive option with 4K HDR video, and it sports slightly better performance than the $30 Roku Streaming Stick. Its portable design is also an improvement over the Roku Express 4K+, which Roku previously sold at the same price.

I still have some misgivings about Roku's software, which is gradually getting more complicated and bloated. But if you enjoy the Roku experience as it is, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is a solid option.

WHAT'S INCLUDED WITH THE STREAMING STICK PLUS

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus has the same finger-size design as the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick I reviewed (fave.co/3K0b0xe) in July, distinguished only by its embossed black Roku logo instead of a painted-on purple one. Its builtin HDMI connector plugs directly into one of your TV's HDMI ports, and if it doesn't fit within the spacing of those ports, you can request a free extender cable (fave.co/4ppzjVy).

Unlike earlier Roku models, the Streaming Stick Plus does not include a power adapter. Instead, you get a five-foot USB-A to USB-C cable to plug into the USB power port on most modern TVs. The dongle had no trouble drawing enough power this way from the TVs I tested it with, but you might need to go hunting for an outlet adapter for old TVs that don't provide USB power.

For video, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus streams at up to 4K resolution with support for HDR and HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision. You need to step up to the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K (fave.co/3VRyvLf) for that. On the audio side, Dolby Atmos is also missing, as that feature is only available on the $100 Roku Ultra (fave.co/3FBzScm).