Roku has built its first OLED televisions, and it is leading with price rather than picture specs. Roku is selling two models only through Amazon. The Roku Pro Series OLED starts at $999, comes in 55- and 65-inch sizes, and is available now. A step-up model, the Roku Pro Series LX OLED, arrives in October at $1,299.
Roku's pitch centers on cost rather than a new capability. The company says OLED has stayed locked behind premium price tags, forcing shoppers to choose between the picture they want and a price they can accept, and that its new line removes that trade-off. "We see a clear opportunity to change that equation," said Chris Larson, Roku's vice president of retail strategy. Roku calls the $999 model a top-tier viewing experience that is genuinely accessible, though that description is the company's own.
On the base model, Roku lists a 120Hz OLED panel, 4K resolution, Dolby Vision, and an automatic picture mode it calls Smart Picture Max. The company says the panel holds color and contrast at wide viewing angles. For gaming, Roku points to automatic low-latency switching, AMD FreeSync Premium, and variable refresh rate. It also highlights a backlit voice remote, Bluetooth pairing for private headphone listening, and a button on the set that helps locate a misplaced remote.
The Roku Pro Series LX OLED is the step-up model. Roku describes it as its most advanced television to date, citing a brighter image, a wider color range, a 144Hz refresh rate, and a polarizer that cuts room reflections. It also swaps in a rechargeable remote with hands-free voice control. Roku has not published a size lineup for the LX model, and it has not named a panel supplier, a peak brightness figure, or physical dimensions for either set.
Availability is the catch. The Pro Series OLED ships now in both sizes, and the LX model arrives in October, but each is exclusive to Amazon, and Roku has not said whether either television will reach other retailers. What is not yet clear is how the panels hold up outside Roku's own numbers, since the company has released specifications but no independent measurements.
