These 8 Streaming Devices Make Perfect Holiday Gifts in 2023 – CNET
These 8 Streaming Devices Make Perfect Holiday Gifts in 2023 - CNET
The days are getting shorter and colder, which means there’s no better time to curl up on the couch and binge-watch your favorite movies and shows. That’s precisely why a streaming device makes the perfect holiday gift for your friends and loved ones. Even though most smart TVs come packed with a range of streaming services, a dedicated streamer such as a Roku or Fire TV Stick, will definitely improve your experience.
We’ve reviewed practically every streaming device and major smart TV system on the market today, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Google Chromecast. These add-on streaming devices often have more apps, better search, simpler remotes, and more frequent updates than the smarts built into your TV set, especially if you’ve got an older model.
We’ve rounded up a list of the best streaming device gifts for the 2023 holiday season, and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K and the Roku Express 4K Plus are neck and neck in the race for our top overall pick. The Roku Express 4K Plus is normally cheaper than the Streaming Stick 4K, so it’s usually our top Roku pick. But sales prices have fluctuated on both of these models, so we generally recommend the cheaper of the two.
That said, Roku faces stiff competition from Amazon, Apple and Google, which also have plenty of streaming stick and streaming box devices to offer.
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” overridecredit=”Sarah Tew/CNET” linktext=”Read our Roku Express 4K Plus review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/news/roku-express-4k-plus-review-the-new-go-to-roku/” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__3c6c5794-4ffb-4f6a-8d6d-e13128cb11d0″ position=”1″ contenttype=”Product Advice” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Best List – Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Roku is our favorite streaming system, with the most streaming app options, the simplest streaming platform interface and the best search. It also has a content-agnostic platform that doesn’t push any one media streaming service provider, like Amazon Prime Video or Apple, over another. The Express 4K Plus is one of the cheapest streaming TV options with 4K HDR. (Even if your current TV doesn’t support those formats, your next one probably will.) Thanks to the AirPlay update, this 4K Roku device is one of the least expensive ways to connect your iPhone or other Apple device to your TV. The Roku Express works with the most popular voice assistants — Amazon Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant. It makes a great gift for those looking to get the most out of streaming without breaking the bank.
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” overridecredit=”Sarah Tew/CNET” linktext=”Read our Roku Streaming Stick 4K review” linkurl=”:https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/roku-streaming-stick-4k-review-small-refinements-to-a-winning-formula/” offer=”{"id":"59cac7ad-5408-4b14-937d-5d727860d7c3","slug":"roku-streaming-stick-4k","label":"Roku Streaming Stick 4K","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"fcc6885e-6e6b-4b40-8d02-dda31993ced5","imgWidth":550,"imgHeight":164,"objectType":"content_product_series","typeLabel":"Series","imgUrl":"/content/image/redirect/fcc6885e-6e6b-4b40-8d02-dda31993ced5/resize/75×56","icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small"}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__c94ece5f-fd74-4320-954b-50c440a763bb” position=”2″ contenttype=”Product Advice” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Best List – Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
The Streaming Stick 4K offers support for Dolby Vision HDR, while the Express 4K Plus does not. The other main difference between the two is the Streaming Stick 4K’s narrow rectangular design, which plugs directly into an HDMI slot in the back of the TV. Both streamers offer a voice remote, 4K HDR streaming and Roku’s excellent interface, which we like better than Fire TV or Google TV. We’re typically not sold on the Dolby Vision upgrade, mostly because we don’t think it provides a major image quality upgrade over standard HDR. But we do think it’s worth picking up the Streaming Stick 4K when the price is the same or cheaper than the Express 4K Plus.
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” overridecredit=”David Katzmaier/CNET” linktext=”Read our Chromecast with Google TV review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/news/chromecast-with-google-tv-review-finally-a-worthy-competitor-to-roku-and-fire-tv/” offer=”{"id":"77f0c360-ce97-4656-9d33-2bf07b92eabe","slug":"chromecast-with-google-tv","label":"Chromecast with Google TV","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"c5c41e30-92cf-49e6-b9b3-5a0c8c14a102","imgWidth":5366,"imgHeight":3559,"objectType":"content_product_series","typeLabel":"Series","imgUrl":"/content/image/redirect/c5c41e30-92cf-49e6-b9b3-5a0c8c14a102/resize/75×56","icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small"}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__400772cf-a293-4b8d-9eaa-6d7779eca384″ position=”3″ contenttype=”Product Advice” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Best List – Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Those looking to give the gift of Google should love the Chromecast with Google TV 4K. It isn’t quite as good as the Roku Express 4K Plus, but this streaming stick comes closer than any other device on the market. It outdoes that Roku by adding Dolby Vision compatibility, but its biggest smart device strength is Google Assistant voice search, which works well for finding stuff to watch. We also like the impressive integration with other Google services, such as Google Photos and YouTube TV. The interface is more evolved-looking than Roku, but ultimately we prefer Roku’s simpler approach and no-nonsense search results. That said, the new Chromecast media streaming device is a better smart streaming choice for those already living in Google’s world.
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Chromecast with Google TV HD is far and away the best HD-only, entry-level streaming device you can find. If you’re looking for a cheap streamer for your HD TV, this is the one to get. It’s speedy and offers the same design and remote as the Chromecast with Google 4K, which means that it doesn’t need line-of-sight to work and can seamlessly control your TV’s power, volume and inputs. It also comes with a built-in button to access Google Assistant.
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” overridecredit=”Sarah Tew/CNET” linktext=”Read our Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/reviews/amazon-fire-tv-stick-lite-review/” offer=”{"id":"eadafd12-9692-45dd-b337-d994184e8cda","slug":"amazon-fire-tv-stick-lite","label":"Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite","edition":["US","ES"],"imageId":"36bc565a-c112-46bd-a544-828887975718","imgWidth":4000,"imgHeight":2667,"objectType":"content_product_series","typeLabel":"Series","imgUrl":"/content/image/redirect/36bc565a-c112-46bd-a544-828887975718/resize/75×56","icon":"type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small"}” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__190d4b9b-1ceb-4937-a3e1-0e39379c07b0″ position=”5″ contenttype=”Product Advice” filtershortcodetypes=”” totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Best List – Precap” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Let’s get this out of the way first: If you prefer the simplicity of Roku’s app-based menus, you might like the Roku Express better. But the Lite trounces the Express in terms of features for the money. This Fire TV Stick’s biggest advantage is a remote with built-in voice search and control (the cheapest Roku with a voice remote is the Express 4K Plus), thanks to Alexa. The Fire Stick’s remote also doesn’t need line of sight to work. If you’re looking for a cheaper gift, the Lite is your best streaming device bet.