New Roku Premiere 4K streamer undercuts Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

New Roku Premiere 4K streamer undercuts Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
(Image credit: Roku)

Roku has today refreshed and expanded its video streamer line-up in the UK by introducing a redesigned Roku Express and a brand-new Roku Premiere (pictured above). The two new players sit alongside the flagship Roku Streaming Stick+.

The Roku Express (£30) is the entry-level streamer, offering 1080p/HD streaming in a form factor that’s 10 per cent smaller than its predecessor. Designed to help owners reduce clutter around their TV, it can be powered through a TV’s USB port and features an adhesive strip that allows it to be discreetly attached to the bottom of a TV.

The Roku Premiere (£40), which came to the US market last year, arrives as the cheapest Roku streamer to support 4K and HDR, undercutting the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (£50) by a tenner. 

The Premiere supports HDR 10 and HLG – so it will be able to stream 4K HDR content from Netflix, Amazon and BBC iPlayer – and unsurprisingly boasts a more powerful processor than the Express to accommodate the streaming of such content.

Roku's 2019 streamer line-up in the UK

Roku's 2019 streamer line-up in the UK (Image credit: Future)

The Roku Streaming Stick+ remains in the 2019 line-up – and it’s dropped in price by £10, giving it a more competitive price tag of £50. It too supports 4K and HDR but builds on the Premiere’s functionality with more advanced, dual-band wi-fi and a remote that can control a TV and facilitate voice control search.

For the uninitiated, Roku streamers give TVs access to a plethora of free and paid-for services, including Netflix, Now TV, Amazon Prime Video, hayu, UKTV Play and the full suite of UK catch-up TV apps (BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5). 

That list should include Apple TV+ when the highly anticipated service arrives in the fall, as well as Disney+ when it (eventually) comes to the UK.

The Streaming Stick+ is on sale now, while the new Roku Express and Roku Premiere will be available from early October.

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Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.