The new Roku Ultra is faster, has better Wi-Fi, and comes with a backlit remote

On the same day that the new Google TV Streamer hits stores, Roku is announcing its latest streaming player. And unlike Google’s major design refresh, new Roku Ultra He’s playing it very safe. Maybe I’ll argue more safe. This still $99.99it still offers Dolby Vision and Atmos, and looks exactly the same as before, although the company says there are notable improvements on the inside.

The 2024 Ultra is 30% faster than Roku’s other players and now features Wi-Fi 6. This upgrade puts it ahead of the Google TV Streamer, which remains on Wi-Fi 5. Roku is now on par with Apple TV but behind Amazon’s flagship Fire TV streamers, which include Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. And yes, there’s still a built-in Ethernet jack for those of you who prefer a wired setup.

“Additionally, as an HDMI 2.1 streaming player, Roku Ultra offers Quick Media Switching (QMS), which enables seamless, jitter-free transitions between different refresh rates or content sources on premium TVs,” Roku’s Paul Nangeroni wrote in a blog post. (Note that your TV also needs to support QMS for this to work, and we’re still in the very, very early stages of this.)

The Ultra comes with Roku’s best remote, the Voice Remote Pro, which has also been upgraded with backlit buttons, USB-C charging, and new quick launch and live TV buttons. The former lets you “see your personalized shortcuts — your most-used apps, your favorite voice command, turning subtitles on and off — right on your TV screen.” The 2024 Roku Ultra also “uses advanced machine learning to predict which app you’re going to open and prepares for our fastest app loading ever.”

Roku is also continuing to improve its always-simple home screen without reinventing the wheel. It’s adding the existing “Kids & Family” zone right to the home screen. Separately, content pages will now feature thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons to help you customize the company’s algorithms to your liking. And the mobile remote app will now have an entertainment layer that lets you swipe up to browse content when you’re not using basic controls.

Is Roku’s trusty, no-frills box still your choice in 2024? Are you waiting for the next Apple TV 4K upgrade? Or will you try Google’s overhauled streamer? I’m still here, wishing Nvidia would break its silence on a possible new Shield, but I’m always here to learn about home entertainment setups in the comments.