Amazon just gave you a new way to save on 4K streaming, thanks to a fresh bundle from Roku. The Roku Express 4K+ streaming device is now being sold with the excellent Roku Voice Remote Pro, with a $50 price that cuts their combined $70 MSRP down by a cool $20. Preorders are live now, with an Oct. 3 release date.
Roku's entry-level 4K device meets its best remote in this bundle that gives you an easy find-my-remote feature and lets you forget about buying more batteries.
The Roku Express 4K+ is cheaper than Roku’s 4K streaming stick, and it’s great for the folks who just want to stream movies and TV shows in Ultra HD on their big TV. It’s a little wedge that connects to your TV via an (included) HDMI cable, and delivers instant access to the Roku platform and every app you could ask for. If you care about AV standards, it’s missing some specs like Dolby Vision, though it does have regular HDR. You’ll want the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K or the $99 Roku Ultra for Dolby Vision.
Its remote, though, was rather basic, and that’s where this bundle comes in to upgrade your next binge-watch. The bundled Roku Voice Remote Pro offers a few perks, and your favorite will depend on your affinity for talking to your tech.
If you speak to Alexa or Siri or Google Assistant on the regular, you’ll be pleased to know that the Roku Voice Remote Pro adds touch-free voice assistant activation. A simple “Hey Roku,” can enable all sorts of commands, including opening the app of your choice. Personally, I use it to find my missing remote — provided the darn thing can hear me when it’s wedged inside my sofa.
Since I’m not keen on talking to technology, I love two of its other features more. The Voice Remote Pro doesn’t use batteries, cutting that waste and expense out of your life. Instead, you recharge it over via its Micro USB port. Then, there are also the 1 and 2 buttons on the remote, which you can program yourself (unlike those annoying buttons that are permanently attached to Netflix or some other app). You can use these buttons to open the app of your choice, adjust settings or perform other tasks.
