4K TV? Check. High-speed internet? Check. Increasingly overpriced streaming app that lets you play 4K content? Who are we kidding? Apps, plural. Check, checkity check.Hold up there, though, potato. You’ve got the right streaming device, right? The box (or stick) that quarterbacks all those wonderful, tasty shows, films, and murder documentaries to your screen. Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast. Yeahhh, now you know what I’m talking about.You need one that’s 4K capable, otherwise all that money sunk into the rest of your equipment means nothing but a bunch of HD (1080p) video playing across your under-utilized TV setup. Smart TVs come with streaming capabilities built in, but in my experience they’re often slow, and if it’s a proprietary interface a la Samsung, clunky.There’s good reason to get a separate streaming device, especially if you care about speed or want a specific service. If your TV comes with built-inFire TV but you dig Apple TV, you’ve gotta buy a box for that. And so on for all the choices.I’ve tested and evaluated the best 4K streaming devices on the market, from the fastest full-sized boxes to the most svelte streaming sticks still capable of playing 4K. They all do the job, but some do it better than the rest.quick look at the best streaming devicesBest Overall 4K Streamer – Roku Ultra 4KFastest and Priciest – Apple TV 4KSlower, but Mounts Anywhere – Roku Streaming Stick 4Khow we evaluatedSuch tiny boxes, and yet such large differences among them. I put a heavy focus on speed, not just when streaming video, but also when navigating the menus. User interface ease of use was also important. The menus had to be clean and intuitive. Even just one unnecessary button press becomes intolerable once it’s repeated dozens of times a day, every day.Remote controls varied a lot among brands, and so I looked closely at the number and quality of features packed into them. I care more about the remotes than the devices themselves, which hide behind a TV or sit on a shelf, because I’m touching and interacting with the remotes every day. They had to be ergonomic and easy to charge, and backlights, shortcut buttons, and voice control didn’t hurt.I tested all devices through a TCL QM7, a 55-inch 4K TV with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, paired with a Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar (via the TCL’s HDMI eARC port) and Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer. All of these were released in 2024, and all are current generation devices. The same high-speed Verizon FIOS fiber-optic internet was used for the internet connection on all devices.best overall 4k streamer – roku ultra 4k(opens in a new window)RokuUltra 4K(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at WalmartBuy Now(opens in a new window)There are a lot of reasons why I declared the Roku Ultra 4K the best overall 4K streaming box. Roku’s home screen, which is shared across Roku devices, is the easiest and most intuitive to navigate of all streaming devices. The Roku home screen is the most playful, too, with a scrolling cityscape that works in dozens of Easter eggs from classic films and shows.Over both Wi-Fi and a wired internet connection (via the Ethernet port), the Roku Ultra 4K never stuttered or struggled to play 4K movies and television shows. Everything ran buttery smooth, and at no time did it have to step down to 1080p resolution.roku ultra 4k – credit: Matt jancerIts processor was powerful enough to stream every 4K film, show, and sports broadcast I could throw at it, even over Wi-Fi without any stuttering or struggling.There’s a voice control button on the ergonomically comfortable remote control, which you hold down while speaking a command, and viola. It’ll land apps, pause and unpause, or search for titles without any tedious typing. But it’s the automatic, hands-free voice control built into the remote that really made my heart flutter.It picks up my voice very well, and while it won’t hear me at quite the distance my Google Nest Hub can hear me (when I place them side by side to test), it can still hear me across the room with enough clarity to answer my queries and take my commands.It’s not quite as fast as the Apple TV 4K, but it costs just a bit more than half the price. With a more fully featured remote and still-very-fast scrolling, it picks up the win in this competition.fastest and priciest – apple tv 4k(opens in a new window)AppleTV 4K (3rd Generation)(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at WalmartBuy Now(opens in a new window)The Apple TV 4K was the fastest streaming player I tested , faster even than the Roku Ultra 4K. But at nearly twice the cost of the Roku box, I thought it had better be. Does that much speed matter that much? Not to me. Still, if absolute speed is that important to you, or if you just dig the Apple interface or a high-quality remote control, the Apple TV 4K excels.Navigating the screens is so quick, it feels like I’m using my mind to control it psychically. It really is impressive. Every 4K film and show I threw at it played beautifully, with no hiccups or lag. I don’t know what more I could want out of it. It was electrifyingly competent at handling processor-thirsty ultra-high definition video.I tested the Apple TV 4K box with 128GB of built-in storage ($189). The real draw of this over the 64GB version ($159) is the Ethernet port, which the latter doesn’t have. Frankly, even the cheaper version is more expensive than any other streaming device. Apple should’ve shoehorned that Ethernet port in both versions.apple tv 4k – credit: matt jancerApple TV’s redesigned home screen is far better than the old one. It’s not far behind the Roku’s user interface, although I still prefer the latter’s design by a small margin. I wish Apple wouldn’t put the channels in the sidebar, which makes navigating slower.The remote control’s button presses are shallow, crisp, and very satisfying to click. More so than the nice but mushier buttons on the Roku. For function, the Roku remote beats it out. But for a premium feel at the expense of some functionality and a higher price, the Apple 4K TV wears the crown.When it comes to being money-wise, the Roku Ultra 4K beats it out because its remote is more fully featured and, crucially, it costs far less than the Apple TV 4K while being nearly as fast.Still, that bare aluminum remote and the lightning-quick processor will win over those willing to pay a premium for the ultimate in speed and feel.slower, but mounts anywhere – roku streaming stick 4k(opens in a new window)RokuStreaming Stick 4K(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at WalmartBuy Now(opens in a new window)The Roku Streaming Stick 4K’s trump card over the Roku Ultra 4K is its lower price (half that of the Ultra 4K) and the ability to mount it to any TV with a minimum of fuss. What’s that convenience and savings worth to you?Like the Ultra 4K, the Streaming Stick 4K supports Dolby Vision, HDR, and, of course, streaming in 4K resolution. On the audio side, though, the stick doesn’t support Dolby Atmos, while the Ultra 4K does.The Streaming Stick 4K is fast enough, emphasis on enough. Although it’s not as snappy as the Roku Ultra 4K, it isn’t unusable. There’s a hint of a delay while scrolling through the home screen and opening apps that’s noticeable. It wasn’t enough to frustrate me, but it was noticeable.roku streaming stick 4k — credit: matt jancerBecause it’s just a stick that plugs straight into your TV’s HDMI port, you don’t need to find a place to hide a bulky box. You don’t need to hide a dangling HDMI cable. It just tucks behind even the slimmest TV, out of the way and out of sight. That’s a bonus for TVs mounted on low-profile wall mounts, where there may not be enough room for an Apple TV 4K or Ultra 4K.The remote control is the same ergonomic shape as the Ultra 4K’s remote, but it runs off two AAA batteries rather than an internal, rechargeable battery. There’s no automatic backlight that glows when you pick up the remote, and there’s no customizable Quick Launch button or hands-free voice search, although it does still have the push-to-talk voice control button.Choose the Streaming Stick 4K if you simply don’t have anywhere to put a larger streaming box anywhere, whether your TV is mounted flat against the wall or if you’ve just run out of shelf space on your TV stand.If speed and Dolby Atmos (supposing you’ve upgraded to aftermarket speakers) are your priorities, though, the Roku Ultra 4K and Apple TV 4K will serve you better.alternativesAmazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $45: It’s slightly faster than the Roku Streaming Stick 4K. One big leg up on the Roku is that while they’re both compatible with Dolby Vision, the Roku lacks Dolby Atmos, which the Amazon stick has. Yet, I just don’t like the remote’s too-small buttons or the user interface as much as Roku’s.Recently, Amazon removed your ability to delete certain unwanted, first-party apps from the Fire TV UI. Amazon has a history of being pushy with controlling what you see and don’t see on its devices, more so than Roku and Apple. If you’re scratching your head, let me direct you to the recent past, when Amazon wedged annoying advertisements into its Echo devices.The built-in Alexa voice assistant works quite well, though, and Fire TV ties into so many smart home hubs and devices that there’s real value to somebody who already has an Alexa ecosystem integrated inside their home.Roku Express 4K+ for $24: There isn’t much reason to recommend the Express 4K+ over the Streaming Stick 4K. They both lack Dolby Atmos support and include the same remote (with the same omissions compared to the Roku Ultra 4K), but the Express 4K+ also lacks Dolby Vision compatibility.Even though the Express 4K+ comes with an adhesive strip so you can stick it on the back of your TV, thus hiding the HDMI cable, you’re still left with a power cord dangling on its way to the wall’s power outlet. It’s only $15 less than the Streaming Stick 4K. Eat peanut butter for lunch one day to save up the difference, if you must.Google Streamer 4K for $100: I didn’t get to test this one… yet. Our review unit didn’t arrive in time for adequate testing. The simplistically named Streamer, available in HD and 4K versions, replaces the Chromecast that we’ve come to know and, well, not love. Tolerate? Too harsh.Let’s just say that we’ve come to know since the first Chromecast iteration launched in 2013. From the specs, it looks fully featured, although it’s $20 more than the very capable Roku Ultra 4K, which we’d expect to put up a tough fight against the Google device. Keep an eye out for an update on this one.The post The Best Streaming Devices for Watching TV and Movies in 4K appeared first on VICE.