The Roku Ultra 4K, which I consider the best top-of-the-line streaming device on the market, has been experiencing funny things regarding its price ever since the American government decided to let our economic policy be set by a sugar-addled squirrel running around on the keys of a big calculator.
After debuting in an updated form in 2024, the Roku Ultra 4K’s bread-and-butter price stuck at $79 everywhere, basically on default. Then with the tariff funny business, the price shot up to $100.
Now, after a few temporary bumps back to its too-high price, the Roku Ultra 4K seems to be settling down to $79 again. It’s not a deal exactly, which is why it feels weird to sort of celebrate.
easily worth its new… er, old price
I can’t say whether Roku or retailers selling it raised the price directly because of the tariffs, or how the tariffs may have affected production and import of the Ultra 4K. But the timing was funny.
And regardless, whether it was cause-and-effect or just coincidence, the end result was the same. People were paying 20% more for the same thing all of a sudden. It was still easy to recommend the Roku Ultra 4K, although it created in people an urge to wait and see if the price would stay that high forever.
Roku is my favorite streaming platform, thanks to its easy-to-navigate user interface and playful nature. Combine that with a wicked-quick processor that’s almost as fast as the Apple TV 4K but still significantly cheaper, and the best remote control in the business, and you have a winner.
If the Roku Ultra 4K is overkill for you—say, you don’t have a 4K TV—or if you’re deep within the Amazon Fire TV/Alexa or Apple ecosystems, check out my guide to the Best Streaming Devices.
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