hey what's up it's michael welcome to the channel and new roku devices just went on sale the day
that i'm recording this video question is should you buy one let's talk about it i'll show you
one of the new streaming media players on the screen it's the roku streaming stick 4k and this
is the latest version of roku streaming stick plus maybe you've seen that featured on this
channel before you may be thinking another new roku launch already less than six months earlier
roku introduced the roku express 4k plus and that device replaced the roku premiere
now before we go any further let me be clear i recommend both of these new roku's for affordable
streaming under 50 bucks but with so many device launches and not just from roku from
amazon chromecast and also apple tv you may be wondering do you really need to upgrade right now
well don't be so fast to bind to the marketing hype today i've got three things to consider
before you upgrade number one does your current streaming device still work if you've watched my
youtube videos or visited my website you know that i believe the best cheap streaming device
is probably the one that you already have and i pulled my youtube community just last night about
this the overwhelming majority of people said they only buy a new streaming device when their
current one stops working and just based on my experience a lot of the cheaper roku's and other
devices like amazon fire tv last about three years before they slow down again just my experience
let me know yours down below in the comments if your roku is acting up for the first time
there are a few things i would check before giving up on it you can change the batteries check for
system updates and perform a system restart verify your wireless signal strength and as a last resort
perform a factory reset you'll know when your roku starts to wear down and that is definitely
a time to upgrade to a new device but i agree with the majority who answer this poll for most
people no need to upgrade every time a new model is released moving on to number two will you get
more features by upgrading okay so we talked about performance in the first section now we're going
to talk about features because that's another thing to consider before you upgrade let's talk
more about the new roku streaming stick 4k as i mentioned this device replaces the roku streaming
stick plus and roku says the new device boots up 30 faster to ensure a smooth streaming experience
even when you're watching in 4k now you may not be watching a whole lot of content in 4k right
now but think ahead a year or two that's why this is one of the features that tops my list
when you're considering a new device and you don't have to spend a whole lot for 4k compatibility
either the roku express 4k plus which launched earlier in 2021 can also give you great picture
quality and in addition to 4k support both of these new roku's have a voice remote with tv
controls i've got one in my hand right now you see the tv controls at the top the power button and on
the side you can control the volume now if you had a previous version of roku or even the cheapest
model right now you only get a simple remote compare them side by side there's no power button
that controls the tv or nothing on the side of the simple remote to control the volume so as far as
i'm concerned going forward you're gonna want one of these devices that has the voice commands and
the tv controls now for most people watching this video roku streaming stick 4k and roku express 4k
plus will be fine either one but if you have more money to spend and want a more powerful
streaming media player with additional features take a look at roku ultra and i'll drop a link
below for you to compare them side by side number three are you getting a good deal on a new device
we've talked about performance we've talked about features now let's get into the price
roku streaming stick 4k was 50 bucks on amazon and elsewhere the day of its launch in october 2021
that's the regular price meanwhile look what i found here the older model
roku streaming stick plus 35 so would you go for that lower price well there's nothing really wrong
with the older model if you already have one well i do here's the box right here in my hand
but if you want a new device you typically do not need to settle for an older model to save money
you just got to be a little patient for example i've mentioned the roku express 4k plus throughout
this video the regular price is 40 bucks but less than six months after its launch the day
of this recording it's on sale for 30 bucks and this is not the first time that it's been sold
at a discount so here's the bottom line my general rule of thumb is to buy the latest
model of a streaming device but wait until that device goes on sale there are sales year round
but black friday and amazon prime day are two good days to stock up i've got one more important note
one more key reason why i recommend roku devices whether you buy a cheap roku player or a more
expensive one you'll be using the same interface that's easy to navigate and access all of your
apps plus get access to free live and on-demand content from the roku channel thanks for watching