(Image credit: Roku)
As Senior TV Editor with over a decade of experience under my belt, I love to gawk at gorgeous, top-of-the-line TVs with eye-popping picture quality. But I hold a special place in my heart for budget-friendly TVs with mass appeal, too — especially if they’re easy to use. And, thanks to their simple-but-powerful software, Roku TVs play the part perfectly.Not all Roku TVs are worth buying, however. We recently reviewed the Roku Select Series — one of the brand’s newest TVs for 2026 — and walked away with a not-so-rosy view of this affordable model.If you’re upgrading your TV and you have your heart set on built-in Roku functionality, I recommend spending just a little bit more on the Roku Plus Series, a 2025 model. Right now, the 55-inch Roku Plus Series is just $349 at Amazon — it’s $80 more than the 55-inch Select Series, but it’s worth the extra dough.The extra cash you’ll spend on the Plus Series will go towards better hardware, and in turn, better picture quality. The more-affordable Select Series is limited to a basic, direct-LED display. It’s better than a bottom-of-the-barrel, edge-lit display, but if you care about performance, the Plus Series is preferable.The Roku Plus Series is equipped with a modest array of Mini-LEDs. They’re not as bright or as bountiful as the Mini-LEDs you’ll find on higher-end models, but they represent a significant step up from the Plus Series’ more rudimentary LED backlighting.It’s not just that the Plus Series’ Mini-LEDs are smaller — they’re also equipped with local dimming, so they’re more dynamic when it comes to controlling the TV’s contrast. Simply put, if you’re aiming to keep costs low but still want decent picture quality for the price, the Roku Plus Series is a better bet than the newer Select Series.
