Until now, the only way to experience Roku’s entertainment ecosystem on an OLED TV was to buy an expensive OLED model from a brand like LG, Samsung or Sony, and pair it with a Roku streaming stick. But as of this week, it’s now possible to buy one of Roku’s first ever OLED TVs, so long as you live in the U.S., where they’re on sale now at surprisingly competitive prices.
The Roku Pro Series OLED TVs also have surprisingly good specifications, given that that company has, until now, mostly been associated with lower cost, cheap-and-cheerful Roku TV models.
Of course, we probably shouldn’t really be that surprised at all. One of the things about OLED is that it’s just not really possible to build a “bad” TV, given that the baseline picture quality of even the most standard OLED panels is just so much better than regular LCD.
The Roku Pro Series OLED TVs are a case in point. The company has announced two models, including a standard version and a Pro model, and they’re both available in two sizes – 55-inches and 65-inches.
The new Roku OLED TVs look sleek, sporting the same super-thin bezels that have basically become the norm for every OLED TV these days, and they’re also extremely thin, which should make them excellent wall mounting options, if you desire that. However, they come with an adjustable tool-free stand that’s designed to accommodate both a soundbar and a set-top box, if you desire either one of those.
Roku said both of its OLED TVs come with an “enhanced” voice-capable remote control, where you simply “push-to-talk” to its integrated AI assistant to control the TV. There’s also a handy remote control finder button on the TV itself, in case you manage to lose it.
We did mention that they have decent specs, so let's take a closer look at what you’re getting. First is the standard Roku Pro Series OLED TV, to give it its official name, which comes with a 120Hz OLED panel that supports Dolby Vision HDR and wide viewing angles. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports and there’s an integrated Game Mode that comes on automatically when a console is detected, which optimises the picture for super-slick gaming. Among the gaming features are variable refresh rates, ALLM and FreeSync Premium support.
All in all, that doesn’t sound too bad, especially considering that Roku’s asking price starts at just $999 for the 55-inch model. Given the specs, that price should make it a viable alternative to slightly more expensive TVs such as LG’s B6 OLED TV and Samsung’s S85H, which are those brands’ respective budget models. The B6 and S85H are priced at around $1,199, in comparison.
The second model sounds even more delightful. It’s called the Roku Pro Series LX OLED TV, and it has an even faster panel capable of 144Hz with support for VRR gaming. It’s also brighter than the standard model, though the company did not release any numbers, and features an advanced polariser to deal with reflections caused by ambient light. The remote control is more luxurious too, with backlit buttons and customisable shortcuts, and it can be charged via a USB-C cable.
From the specifications, we’d wager that the Roku Pro Series LX OLED TV is equipped with one of LG Display’s OLED EX panels, which are also found in LG’s C6 OLED TV and Samsung’s S90H OLED model. Roku said prices start at $1,299 for the 55-inch variant of the Pro model, which is in the same ballpark as LG’s C6.
We therefore expect the Pro model to perform just as well as those two models, but it will not be on the same level of flagships like the LG G6, which uses a Tandem WOLED panel, or the Samsung S95H or Sony Bravia 8 II, which use more advanced QD-OLED panels.
If you want to know about the capabilities of the LG C6, and perhaps get an idea of what Roku's model might be capable of, watch Vincent Teoh's latest video review for the lowdown:
