Roku’s shiny new OLED televisions have gone on sale in the U.S., about six weeks after they were first unveiled. With their exclusive availability on Amazon, they expand the streaming specialist’s tiny portfolio of higher-end TVs beyond LCD-based Mini-LED.
There are two new models in Roku’s OLED collection. The Roku Pro Series and the Roku Pro Series LX, and they’re both available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, with prices starting at less than a grand for the lower-specced models.
As you can imagine, it’s the Roku Pro Series LX OLED TVs that are the most capable, featuring a more advanced OLED panel. Roku hasn’t specified exactly what panel has been used, but it’s most likely to be LG Display’s OLED.EX panel, given that’s what’s found on the LG C6 TV that it appears to want to compete with.
The Roku Pro Series LX OLED has a 144Hz refresh rate and supports VRR gaming, and it’s also significantly brighter than the standard model, though Roku didn’t provide any numbers. The company said it also has a more advanced polariser to ward off reflections caused by ambient light in the room. It has a better remote too, with backlit buttons and additional customisable shortcuts, and it supports USB-C charging.
Roku also mentioned that the Pro Series LX TVs support Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HDR10, as well as Dolby Atmos surround sound. They have four HDMI 2.1 ports on the back that support VRR and Auto Low-Latency Model, and you’ll also find AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.
The Roku Pro Series LX TVs appear designed to compete with LGs C-series models and Samsung’s S90 OLED TVs, which feature a QD-OLED panel, and they’re appealing in terms of their price, if nothing else. You can find them on Amazon’s U.S. store now, with the 55-inch model priced at $1,299 and the 65-incher going for $1,599.
As for the lower-end Roku Pro Series OLED TVs, these are nothing to be sneered at. The most important difference is they’re equipped with a lower-end panel, most likely LG Display’s OLED SE panel, which is more affordable but lacks the brightness and colour impact of its more advanced OLED.EX and Primary RGB Tandem OLED panels. Nevertheless, the Roku Pro Series OLED models still have 120Hz refresh rates, which should be fast enough for most gamers, and they also support Dolby Vision and HDR10 and have wide viewing angles, the company promised.
There’s a dedicated Game Mode (as there is on the more expensive model) and there are four HDMI 2.1 ports, with VRR, ALLM and FreeSync Premium all supported.
Their remote control doesn’t come with the fancy backlit buttons. However, it’s still an “enhanced” remote control featuring Roku’s “push-to-talk” capability that allows you to press the button once and start conversing with the TVs’ integrated generative AI assistant. The remote also comes with a “remote control finder” feature, so that if it gets lost, you can use your smartphone to find it.
As for prices, the Roku Pro Series OLED TVs start at just $899 for the smaller 55-inch model, rising to $999 for the 65-inch version. These models will go head-to-head with other more affordable OLED TVs such as LG’s B6 OLED and Samsung’s S85H, which both cost quite a bit more.
