Sharp has teamed up with Roku to offer the first-ever Roku TVs featuring an OLED display. It’s a novel move for both companies in some ways. Since Roku launched with its TV platform in 2014, its dedicated TVs have exclusively always been LCD models, while Sharp has only ever produced a limited number of OLED sets in its home country, Japan.
So the launch of the Sharp Aquos Roku OLED 4K UHD TV is quite a milestone for both companies. Sharp is positioning itself as a rival to the lower-end OLED TVs sold by the likes of LG Electronics, while Roku can now match rivals such as Android in terms of its display quality.
The new Sharp Roku OLED TVs are available in 55- and 65-inch sizes, and come with a host of premium features such as Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10 and four HDMI 2.1 ports that support advanced gaming capabiliyties including variable refresh rates and smooth 4K 120Hz graphics. The TVs also boast a capable 30-watt speaker system built in, and compatibility with Dolby Atmos surround sound.
The real draw though is Roku’s easy-to-use TV software, which offers one of the best user experiences around. The Sharp TVs will provide the same user experience as found on any Roku streaming device, but it’s built natively into the TV itself. Some of the key features of the Roku TV OS include its universal search capability that lets users look for content across every app, and a recently updated homescreen that brings lots of free-to-stream content to the fore. The TV also comes with a voice-capable remote control for easier navigation and supports Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit.
Roku announced an update to Roku OS 12.5 just last month, adding enhancements for sports and live TV, as well as a ‘what to watch’ feature, the ability to create music playlists, Roku Photo Streams and more.
There may well be more OLED Roku TVs to launch in the coming months, as Sharp's models are believed to be based on a new OLED reference model launched by Roku earlier this year.
Sharp America President Jim Sanduski said the company is delighted to be working with Roku on its return to the highly-competitive U.S. TV market. “The immersive experience of our Aquos OLED panel means our consumers will truly enjoy their Sharp Roku TV set to its fullest potential with the rich library of entertainment options and original content that Roku brings to our customers,” he stated.
The new models are quite competitively priced and suggest Sharp aims to go toe-to-toe with LG’s more affordable yet still excellent B3 OLED TV. It said the 55-inch model will go on sale in the U.S. priced at $1,499, while the 65-inch variant will cost $1,999. That makes them just a bit cheaper than the LG B3 model, which is compelling because they almost certainly use the same OLED panel.
The TVs will also provide Roku TV fans with an alternative to the numerous Roku TVs sold by TCL and Hisense. Those two companies offer a range of excellent Roku TVs based on Mini-LED technology, many of them coming with premium display features too. For consumers, the additional choice can only ever be good news.
