Roku ultra vs Apple TV – Which streaming device provides a better streaming experience?
Whether you want to push the delete button on your cable company or stop using the boring built-in interface in your smart TV, you can opt to get a reliable streaming device. Ruko ultra and Apple TV are all great options that can be right for you. However, you need to figure out which platform to go for.
In this day and age of streaming, set-top boxes are taking a back seat to a more convenient and better viewing experience. Both Roku Ultra and Apple TV provide many of the same essential features including the fact that both are set-top boxes that connect to your 4K TV and can also be connected to any HDTV. However, you won’t benefit from most of their strongest content in terms of ultra HDR and HD content delivery. They both have internal storage, access lots of streaming internet apps, and have wider internet browsing capabilities.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between Roku Ultra and Apple TV?
Product |
Apple TV |
Ruko ultra |
Resolution |
2160p 4K UHD |
2160p 4K UHD |
HDR |
HDR10 and Dolby vision |
HDR10 |
Headphone jack |
No |
Yes |
Voice remote |
Yes |
Yes |
External storage |
No |
USB and microSD |
Roku ultra vs Apple TV. How do they differ?
Content
These are the channels and apps that you can access together and the formats you can access. Apple TV 4K supports both Dolby Vision and HDR 10, even Dolby atmos audio and this gives you access to two main HDR formats. This streaming device also has an app store like the one on your iSO devices that give you access to Netflix, Showtime, Prime Video, YouTube TV, HBO, Hulu, Disney+, AT & T, Sling TV, and many more. However, it doesn’t have Spotify, but you can AirPlay Spotify from your phone to your Apple TV. On the other hand, Ruko ultra only has HDR10 and Dolby Atmos audio, but not Dolby’s vision. It’s not biased with the search as it will display all the searched content from all your installed channels in order of price. Ruko has all the same apps you’ll get on Apple TV and also include Pandora, Spotify, and Google play video. So you get access to more apps and the Ruko channel with ad-based free content. You can use the microSD card reader and USB ports to watch downloaded content.
Ruko ultra gives you access to more apps and more channels and you can use it to watch downloaded content from your USB or microSD card.
Remote
Apple TV has a Siri remote with a touchpad instead of using normal buttons like Ruko. It’s a thin and flat remote made with aluminum and glass, but the touchpad isn’t as responsive as your phone. It doesn’t have the TV power button. You can use Siri on your iPhone to give commands and even use playback controls on your iPhone’s locked screen. You can also disable the touchpad for directional buttons and use the fast forward or rewind buttons. As for Ruko ultra, is like a traditional TV remote that feels great in your hands and has colored physical buttons that are easy to use. There are the power and volume buttons, preset streaming buttons, and two open buttons you can set yourself. You can also use your phone app as the remote.
Ruko ultra has a better remote that you can easily use and hold properly.
Interface ecosystem
If you’ve used an iPhone before, the Apple TV interface looks similar. Apple TV will automatically download content apps from your phone and by placing your phone near the Apple TV, it will pick your Apple ID and wifi password. You can use your iPhone’s keypad to enter text since it’s hard doing it with the remote and also use it as a remote. As for Ruko ultra, it doesn’t offer as much. It doesn’t give you access to premium features and each app comes with different features and layout. The Ruko channel allows you to subscribe to Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, and HBO with all the content in one channel.
Apple TV has a more robust interface ecosystem and a more robust ‘up next’ list.
Roku ultra vs Apple TV – A comparison review
Roku ultra
- 2,000+ entertainment channels choose from the widest variety of streaming entertainment, including...
- Stunning HD video quality immerse yourself in the action with rich, vibrant video streaming up to 1080p...
Ruko ultra is a media streaming device that will give you access to a massive selection of apps and services and comes with a powerful remote and a headphone jack for private listening. Ruko ultra is a rounded square-shaped video streaming box powered by a quad-core processor and an 802.11ac dual-band wireless antenna. It has an improved remote with 2 programmable buttons, a remote finder button at the top, and the back is an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, a 12V-1A power adapter, a microSD card slot, and a USB port at the side.
The remote has an auxiliary audio jack on the side for your headphones for private listening. The remote has buttons for home, power, back, replay, microphone, playback, and control. There are also dedicated service buttons to access the channels. Ruko ultra can stream 4K HDR videos from Netflix, Vudu, Amazon Prime, and others with all videos in HDR10 format. It also supports screencasting which is a useful feature when you want to share your YouTube clips with your friends in the room.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Customizable buttons
- Advanced remote with a headphone jack
- Faster performance
Cons
- No Dolby vision
- Limited voice assistant
Apple TV
Apple TV 4K is a little streaming box that can handle all 4K resolution content with Dolby Vision, Dolby atmos, and HDR10 formats to give you fantastic pictures depending on the TV you’ve connected to. It uses a speedy A10X processor that allows you to navigate the interface and load apps at a faster speed than before. It has a small nice remote with sleek controls, more updated apps, better-looking menus, superior voice search and control, integration with movies anywhere with iTunes, access to TV shows, and movies from services like Amazon and Vudu. Apple TV 4K has all the major video streaming apps you could want and will provide you with a central place to browse videos from different services.
It can also control your Homekit devices like your speakers, Phillips Hue bulbs, or smart plugs and can easily sync with your iPhone or iPad. With instant screen mirroring, it becomes easy to share content on the big screen. A software update will allow you to adjust the settings so that you can disable the conversion of games, videos, and menus to HDR and get a fixed frame rate.
Pros
- A responsive remote
- Excellent Siri voice options
- A clean and simple interface
- Supports Dolby Vision and Atmos
Cons
- It’s expensive
- Doesn’t stream YouTube in 4K or HDR
Conclusion
Both Roku Ultra and Apple TV are solid streaming devices. Ruko ultra is great if you want to spend less and has access to more apps and channels, Apple TV has a better-looking interface with great consistency.
So which one is better Roku ultra or Apple TV?
Apple TV is a better streaming device with more storage, faster speeds, and Dolby Vision and Atmos.
FAQ
Can you watch Apple TV on Ruko?
Ruko now has an Apple TV channel app that allows you to watch ordinary Apple TV content and Apple TV+ on your Ruko player. But not all Ruko players are compatible with the Apple TV channel app.
Do I still have to pay for movies on Apple TV?
Yes, you do. Movies from iTunes stores aren’t included in your subscription. Only the shows found in the Apple TV app with the tv+ logo are included.