This 55-inch Roku TV is perfect for streaming — and it just crashed to $348

The Roku Plus Series 4K TV displaying the Roku home screen in a modern living room setting

(Image credit: Roku)

If you've been searching for an ultra-affordable 4K TV with the popular Roku platform built right in, look no further. Right now, the 55-inch Roku Plus Series TV is just $348 at Amazon — down $150 from its usual price. It's been one of my go-to recommendations for folks looking to upgrade on a budget.

In addition to its sleek, user-friendly smart platform, the Roku Plus Series comes with a handful of perks that make it better than the average entry-level TV. Here's what you need to know.

The Roku Plus Series is a budget-friendly 4K TV that offers a simple-but-powerful backdrop for all of your streaming needs. It's not the brightest TV on the block, but its inclusion of local dimming is very much worth having at this price point. It's good enough for casual gamers, but serious gamers might want to spend more on something more suited to their lifestyle. If all you want is an easy-to-use TV that simplifies streaming, the Roku Plus Series is a solid pick.

The Roku Plus Series isn't the brightest LED TV on the market, nor will it net you high-end gaming features. However, if all you're looking for is a dependable smart TV with an easy-to-use streaming platform, I'm confident the Roku Plus Series will get the job done.

Unlike bottom-of-the-barrel, entry-level TVs that leverage edge-lit displays, the Plus Series features LED backlighting with local dimming for improved contrast. This is a critical feature to have at this price point.

In our Roku Plus Series review, we were particularly impressed with the Plus Series' voluminous HDR color, which was accurately tuned out of the box, to boot.

I'm confident the Roku Plus Series will get the job done.

The best thing about the Plus Series is its built-in Roku functionality. I use a Roku device as a daily driver on account of its simplicity and robust app support. The Roku Plus Series puts the entire experience into the TV itself — no external device required.

As mentioned, serious gamers will want to rein in their expectations, as the Roku Plus Series doesn't offer much in the way of gaming features. It supports 4K gaming at 60Hz, but it can't showcase 4K titles at 120Hz.

That said, these features are rarely found in this price range, and I suspect that most people shopping for a TV in this class won't mind the Plus Series' lack of gaming support.

If you're upgrading to a 4K TV for the first time — or if you just want to spend as little as possible on a sensible replacement — the Roku Plus Series is a great compromise.

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Michael Desjardin is a Senior Editor for TVs at Tom's Guide. He's been testing and tinkering with TVs professionally for over a decade, previously for Reviewed and USA Today. Michael graduated from Emerson College where he studied media production and screenwriting. He loves cooking, zoning out to ambient music, and getting way too invested in the Red Sox. He considers himself living proof that TV doesn't necessarily rot your brain.

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