The Roku Streaming Stick Plus 2025 is a compact, budget-friendly 4K streaming device that replaces the Roku Express 4K Plus in the company’s lineup. Priced at $39.99, it delivers impressive performance, a sleek design, and a voice-enabled remote, making it an excellent choice for cord-cutters and travelers alike. Here’s a detailed look at what this new streaming stick brings to the table.
Here is Our Full Review:
You can find the Roku Express 4K Plus on Amazon HERE.
Design and Setup
The Streaming Stick Plus 2025 is over 35% smaller than competing streaming sticks, such as Amazon’s Fire TV Stick lineup, making it one of the slimmest streaming devices available. Its compact, dongle-style design plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port and stays discreetly out of sight, avoiding clutter or interference with neighboring HDMI ports. This portability is a standout feature, perfect for travelers who want to bring their streaming setup to a hotel room or a vacation home without logging into someone else’s device.
Setup is straightforward and beginner-friendly. The device connects to your TV’s HDMI port, and power is supplied via a USB cable that can plug directly into your TV’s USB port—no wall outlet required. Unlike its predecessor, the Streaming Stick Plus 2025 is optimized for lower power consumption, ensuring consistent performance when powered through a TV’s USB port without the need for an external adapter. This is a notable upgrade, enhancing both convenience and energy efficiency.
Performance and Features
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus 2025 supports 4K streaming with HDR10 and HDR10+ for vibrant colors and sharp contrast, though it lacks Dolby Vision support, which is reserved for the higher-end Roku Streaming Stick 4K ($49.99). The device delivers crisp, clear visuals at up to 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) at 60 frames per second, provided you have a compatible TV and content. Streaming apps load quickly, and playback is smooth with no noticeable buffering during testing on services like Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube TV.
Roku’s operating system remains a highlight, offering a simple, customizable grid-based interface that prioritizes ease of use over flashy visuals. It provides access to thousands of apps, including major players like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+, as well as 500+ free live TV channels via The Roku Channel. The platform also supports Apple AirPlay 2, allowing seamless mirroring from iPhones, iPads, or Macs, a feature not universally available on competing devices.
The included voice remote is a significant value-add at this price point. It features a microphone for voice commands, enabling users to search for content, open apps, or control playback hands-free. The remote also includes TV power, volume, and mute buttons, reducing the need for multiple remotes. While it lacks advanced features like the rechargeable battery or headphone jack found on the Roku Voice Remote Pro, it’s intuitive and comfortable, with shortcut buttons for popular services like Netflix and Hulu.
Connectivity and Efficiency
The Streaming Stick Plus 2025 includes a long-range Wi-Fi receiver, ensuring stable connections even in larger homes or areas with weaker signals. In testing, it maintained strong performance on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
Its low-power design is a practical improvement over the Express 4K Plus. By drawing power directly from a TV’s USB port without sacrificing performance, it simplifies setup and reduces cable clutter, making it ideal for minimalist setups or travel.
Value and Verdict
At $39.99, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus 2025 offers exceptional value, delivering 4K HDR streaming, a user-friendly interface, and a capable voice remote in a compact, travel-friendly package. It matches the core performance of the Express 4K Plus while introducing a smaller footprint and lower power consumption, making it easier to hide behind your TV.
You can find the Roku Express 4K Plus on Amazon HERE.
Here is our review of the higher-end Roku Stick 4K+:
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