The $30 Roku Express is the best streaming device for your ‘dumb’ TV

Streaming keeps getting pricier, but you don’t have to pay a lot for your next streaming device. The Roku Express provides one of the most affordable means to bring all the streaming apps to any TV with an HDMI port. And the current model I’ve just tested is a step up from its predecessor, with a remote that’s easier to use.

Yes, new TVs have their own apps, but that’s not what the Roku Express is for. With the Roku Express, you can play Dr. Frankenstein, bolting a brain into an aging body by livening up an older TV set.

I don’t own a 1080p TV, so I tested the Roku Express on my own 4K LG C2 OLED TV, where it worked well. I noticed the lower resolution every once in a while but not too often. Scoff at a 1080p streaming device? I never travel without the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K, my personal pick for the best Roku for most people.

Many folks, though, don’t want to pay more than they need to. So, let’s look at why the $30 Roku Express is one of the best streaming devices.

What we liked about it

Affordable with decent performance

In a world full of $50 streaming sticks, the Roku Express’ $30 price is its biggest perk, and one it shares with the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite and Chromecast with Google TV HD. As I started Netflix’s “One Piece” on the Express, I often thought to myself, “This is pretty good for the price.” I didn’t notice much speed, but I didn’t find myself waiting long for apps to start up either.

You may notice slightly longer pauses if you’ve streamed on a pricier model in the past, though. For example, I’ve noticed that rows of shows and movies can sometimes take an extra moment to load in Disney+ on the Express. But for $30, I’m not cursing Roku or Disney for such lag.

There is one cheaper competitor, though. Walmart’s selling its recently released Onn 4K Google TV Streaming Box for $20, undercutting all its rivals (though it’s known to go in and out of stock). My biggest gripes with that box are its interface (see below), cheap-feeling design and inconsistent performance from both its remote app and Google Assistant.

A more reliable remote

Previous Roku Express owners may be wary of the little wedge-shaped streaming device because of its remote. The 2019 Express required you to point your remote directly at the receiver in order for your clicks to register.

And while Roku still includes a sticker reminding you to aim at its front side, this newer 2022 model is far more forgiving. In fact, I’m pretty sure the sticker exists to remind people they can’t keep the Express hidden behind the TV or inside a cabinet while they go through the original setup process.

Now, the remote just works at most angles, as long as you’re pointing it in the vague direction of the Roku Express. It even worked some of the times when I pointed the remote directly away from the device.

If you find some clicks don’t register, make sure that the Roku Express is sitting flat with its glossy side facing forward. After I made that adjustment, everything just worked.

That great Roku simplicity

Roku’s easy-to-use interface gives you a grid of apps and a menu, and the Express’ software is as great as it ever was. Don’t need one of the pre-installed apps? You can easily remove it by hitting the * button on your remote and selecting “remove.”

This may sound like faint praise, but I recommend the Roku Express simply because Roku doesn’t do what its competitors do. Amazon Fire TV Sticks and the Google TV dongles feature home screens littered with ads and other suggested content. Roku has its own ads — I even saw an Acura dealership in the Roku City screensaver during testing — but this platform pushes the least “stuff.”

I also appreciate how much of the home screen is dedicated to those app icons, making them easier to find. This differs from the Chromecast with Google TV and Walmart’s Onn Google TV 4K Streaming Box, which present those icons in small rows that take up a sliver of the home screen.

What we didn’t like about it

The remote could use more buttons

The Roku simple remote (yes, that’s its actual name) lacks three buttons that most streaming device remotes should have: the volume switch, mute and TV power.

Missing all those means you’ll be juggling your TV remote control as you use your Roku Express. Nobody wants to be called Two Remote Jones in 2023.

The $29 Chromecast with Google TV HD and the $19 Onn Google TV 4K Streaming Box both come with remotes that include all those buttons. Oh, and if you want a voice-command button? The Express can’t help you, though Amazon’s and Google’s devices have it. Even the $29 Fire TV Stick Lite offers a voice-control button for Alexa.

Unforced errors in power and HDMI

Were this a smartphone review, I would be more forgiving about Roku’s decision not to throw in a power brick. But this is something I expect from a streaming device, as not everyone who wants to stream has a spare USB power adapter on hand.

Those confused will likely open the included pamphlet, to learn that Roku suggests you connect this USB power cable to one of your TV’s USB ports. Unfortunately, this method creates an annoying bit of friction, preventing you from turning your TV on by activating the Roku Express via its remote.

This is because the Roku Express can’t “wake” your TV until it’s drawing power, and many TV manufacturers make it hard (or impossible) to turn that port power to the always-on setting. Fire TV Sticks, the Chromecast with Google TV HD and Walmart’s cheapo Onn Streaming Box all include a power adapter.

Making matters worse, the Roku Express’ included HDMI cable is a mere two feet long. That might not sound like an especially short cable, but everyone’s home entertainment setup differs. Me? I have a wall-mounted TV, which this cable is far too short for, and so this short cord left me hanging.

I had to use a trio of books to keep my Roku Express properly elevated and sitting at a 180-degree angle. Roku includes an adhesive strip for those who need help making sure the Express (which is pretty lightweight) sits flat and doesn’t get pulled up by the tension of its cables. The Fire TV Sticks and HD Chromecast don’t have this problem because they’re designed to be hidden behind your TV, while the Onn Streaming Box includes a 3.28-foot HDMI cable.

Roku’s included instructions suggest you could use that strip to affix the Roku Express to one of the sides of your TV. That’s one way to ensure it sits flat.

All the small gripes

Roku has yet to add multiuser support to its devices, which could irk parents who wish they could keep their kids’ stuff in its own walled garden and password-lock content behind their own profiles. Instead, they’ll be using specific parental controls inside of apps.

Oh, and while 1080p streaming devices don’t need all the bells and whistles, we still have to compare the Express against its similarly priced competitors. At this price, it’s understandable that none of these streaming devices have Dolby Vision, a premium video standard that delivers stronger color and contrast with high dynamic range (HDR). All those other streaming boxes offer some kind of HDR, though, while the Express does not.

The Dolby Atmos audio standard for more immersive sound is also missing on the Roku Express. All the Fire TV Sticks and the HD Chromecast offer Atmos. You may not care, as HDR and Dolby Atmos aren’t widely available on the 1080p TVs that the Roku Express is made for. Sure, support is convenient if you plug into a newer TV, but then you should just level up. Consider either the $40 Roku Express 4K+ (HDR) or the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K (Dolby Vision, HDR and Dolby Atmos).

What’s life without 4K?

Yes, this is a 1080p streaming device. Yes, most TVs sold these days are in 4K. But since Roku isn’t the only company that recently released a 1080p streaming device (hi, Chromecast with Google TV HD), we can’t write the Express off as irrelevant.

Issues with its lower resolution mostly popped up the closer I stood to my TV. Then, images in the Disney+ app interface for “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” and a kids title called “Pretty Freekin Scary” looked more like drawings than photos.

If you don’t see yourself needing 4K anytime soon, I can understand this not being a deal breaker. Watching “Ahsoka” on the Roku Express, I quickly found myself focusing on the Star Wars show and not the fact that I was watching in substandard quality. For example, the bright-green hero Hera Syndulla is rendered clearly, and the chase scene with the Purrgil space whales didn’t look too much better on the Apple TV 4K (which I still love and use as my standard streaming device).

Likewise, the “Naatu Naatu” music number from “RRR” (on Netflix) still make me smile in 1080p on the Roku Express, and I didn’t feel like the viewing experience was lesser for it.

How it compares

Bottom line

I recommend the Roku Express because, even with all its flaws, it’s still a Roku. Everybody’s TV is set up differently, so my gripes about placement and cables and cords may be far from universal. What is more common, I’d expect, is that people just want to open their streaming apps as easily as possible and see as few ads and suggestions as possible.

This is the Roku I’d recommend to relatives looking to smarten up a 1080p TV — partially because it’s the model I’d be happiest giving tech support on. Sure, those who want a tidier entertainment console or kids’ profiles (or love voice-activated smart assistants) should choose a Fire TV Stick or Google TV-based model.

But if you need a streaming device on a sub-$50 budget? I say go with the Roku Express. It’s a faster way to actually watch shows and movies, it doesn’t get in the way of your next binge and who needs all those ads?