course now he does his thing televisions. The Roku Select and Plus series TVs were announced at CES in January and hit shelves this week. There are 11 Roku TVs in total, spanning two different lineups and ranging from 24 to 75 inches. Prices start at $150 and go up to $1,200. These new Roku models are currently only available at Best Buy stores or online.
The Roku Select series is the base line, available in a mix of HD and 4K models. HD versions start at $150 for a 24-inch TV and offer sizes up to 40 inches, which costs $280. 4K offerings start at 43 inches for $320 and go up to 75 inches for $800. HD TVs are equipped with Roku Voice Remotes, while 4K sets offer an enhanced Roku Voice Remote, which adds private listening via wired headphones and a lost remote finder, a feature previously exclusive to the Voice Remote Pro. Both remotes are superior to the basic versions found on competing entry-level Roku smart TVs like the TCL 4 series.
The Roku Plus series is the upgrade option with an all-4K lineup, including picture-enhancing extras like Dolby Vision high dynamic range, local attenuation, QLED for enhanced color, speakers certified by Dolby Atmos ia Voice Remote Pro. The Plus series also supports private listening via Bluetooth headphones linked directly to the TV, a feature long available on rival Google TV and Amazon Fire TV models. The Roku Plus series comes in a 55-inch model for $650, a 65-inch version for $800, and a 75-inch option for $1,200.
These TVs are Roku’s first foray into TV manufacturing. Previously, Roku had been happy to work closely with its partners to bring Roku-branded TVs to market. These TVs from TCL, Hisense, Sharp and others offer a variety of sizes and picture enhancements. According to Roku, those partnerships aren’t going away.
“These Roku-branded TVs will not only complement the current lineup of partner-branded Roku TV models, but also enable us to enable future smart TV innovations,” Mustafa Ozgen, Roku’s president of devices, said in a statement of January press.
Roku has partnered with Best Buy to offer its new products exclusively, so they won’t be available at Amazon, Walmart, Target, or other retailers for now. Amazon followed a similar path when it launched its own branded TVs in 2021 Fire TV Omni i Fire TV 4 Series they were initially only sold at Best Buy and Amazon, while Fire TVs from other partners were sold at various outlets.
So far, Roku doesn’t seem to be pushing the technical limits of its TVs, so don’t expect top-notch picture quality. While the Plus series TVs include local dimming and QLED, which should help improve picture quality, the company hasn’t revealed many more details about the picture-enhancing extras on these TVs. We don’t know exactly how many zones there are, for example.
Currently, TCL 6 Series Roku TV is the most technologically advanced Roku-brand TV available, and CNET’s pick best tv for the money. The latest version features mini-LED technology with up to 448 local dimming zones, a native 120 Hz refresh rate and options suitable for games, including a 4K/120Hz input. However, the price is higher than the new Roku-branded TVs, with a 65-inch model costing $1,000.
We look forward to reviewing the new Roku TV soon.