RCA Roku TV: 55" 4K Smart TV RCA - Review 🏆

The RCA Roku TV 55" is a budget-friendly 4K UHD smart TV that offers a good balance of features and performance. This 55-inch model has a sleek, minimalist design with thin bezels and a matte black finish. It has a 3840 x 2160 resolution 4K UHD display panel with HDR support. The TV runs on Roku's streaming platform, giving you access to thousands of apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, and more.

Under the hood, the Roku TV is powered by a quad-core processor and has dual-band 802.11ac WiFi for smooth streaming. For ports, you get 3 HDMI inputs, 1 USB, AV input, Ethernet, and a headphone jack. The built-in speakers deliver 20W of total sound output.

Overall, the RCA 55" 4K Roku TV offers solid picture quality, smart capabilities, and connectivity in an affordable package. In this review, we'll take a deeper look at the design, features, image quality, audio, and more to see how it performs as a budget 4K TV option.

Design

The RCA Roku 55" 4K TV has an attractive, modern design that looks great in any living room. It has slim bezels around the 55-inch screen that don't distract from the viewing experience. The TV is supported by two V-shaped metal legs at the edges of the unit. The stand feels very sturdy and holds the TV securely in place.

The rear of the TV has a clean, minimalist look with just the Roku logo prominently displayed in the center. The TV isn't the slimmest on the market at 3.2 inches thick, but it doesn't look bulky either. Overall, the RCA Roku TV has a simple, refined aesthetic that blends into both contemporary and traditional home decor.

For those seeking an even higher quality display, the RCA: 55 QLED UHD Smart TV provides a vivid and immersive viewing experience with its QLED technology. This model offers enhanced picture quality, deeper blacks, and richer colors, making it a great option for movie nights or gaming sessions. Additionally, it includes smart features and an intuitive interface that makes accessing streaming services and apps seamless. The aesthetic is comparable to the standard 55" 4K TV, ensuring it fits perfectly into any home setting.

Image Quality

The RCA 55" Roku TV delivers a great 4K Ultra HD picture quality with 3840 x 2160 resolution and support for HDR. The 4K resolution provides extra detail and clarity compared to 1080p Full HD, allowing you to see all the finer details in content.

The HDR support further enhances picture quality by increasing the TV's brightness, contrast ratio, and wider color gamut. This results in a more dynamic and realistic viewing experience with punchy highlights, deep blacks, and vivid colors. Scenes appear brighter and more life-like.

In testing, the 4K resolution was sharp with no noticeable pixelation. Details like text were crisp and easy to read. The colors were also accurate out of the box with natural looking skin tones. The TV could get sufficiently bright for most well-lit rooms. Dark room performance was decent but blacks could appear more gray in a darkened environment.

Overall, the image quality is quite good for the price considering you get 4K, HDR, and accurate colors. The picture will please most buyers looking for an affordable 4K TV for casual viewing and streaming. Hardcore videophiles may want to step up to something with better contrast, but it's tough to beat the RCA for the price.

If you are looking for a smaller option, consider the RCA RK32HN1: 32 Roku TV Smart TV. This model offers a compact 32-inch screen while still including smart TV capabilities through Roku. It’s ideal for bedrooms, kitchens, or any small space where you want a quality viewing experience. Though it lacks 4K resolution, it still delivers solid HD picture quality with vibrant colors and easy-to-navigate smart features, making it another strong contender for those on a budget.

Smart TV Features

The RCA Roku TV 55" comes with the popular Roku TV smart platform. This gives you access to thousands of streaming apps including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, BBC iPlayer and many more. It's an excellent choice for cord cutters who want to ditch regular cable.

The interface is very user-friendly. Apps are neatly organized into rows and there is a universal search function that looks across multiple apps to find the show or movie you want. The remote has dedicated shortcut buttons for popular streaming services.

For voice control, the TV has built-in support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. You can search for content, launch apps, control TV settings and more using just your voice. There is no need to buy any extra hardware or devices.

Overall the smart features and Roku platform make this an ideal smart TV for accessing all the most popular streaming services. It provides a huge library of on-demand content and apps. The voice control integration is a nice bonus for hands-free navigation.

Audio Quality

The RCA Roku TV has decent audio quality for its price range. It has a standard 2-channel speaker setup with 20W total audio output. While it lacks the immersive surround sound of more premium TVs, the speakers deliver sufficiently loud and clear audio for everyday TV watching.

Dialogue in TV shows and movies sounds clear and intelligible. The speakers can get reasonably loud without too much distortion. There is some lack of bass which is expected for built-in TV speakers. But the overall audio reproduction is good enough for enjoying TV shows, movies, sports, and casual gaming.

The TV supports common audio formats like Dolby Audio for improved sound quality. Volume can be adjusted to high levels without too much crackling or tin-ness. The audio doesn't sound as full or rich compared to higher-end TVs, but it gets the job done well for a budget 4K TV model.

Casual listeners will find the RCA Roku TV's audio quality perfectly fine. Audiophiles may want to pair it with a soundbar or speaker system for a more powerful and immersive soundstage. But the built-in 20W speakers offer decent clarity and volume for daily entertainment.

Ports and Connectivity

The RCA Roku 55" 4K TV offers ample connectivity options for most entertainment setups. It includes:

• 3 HDMI ports - These allow you to connect 4K Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, streaming devices, and other HDMI-enabled devices. The HDMI ports support HDCP 2.2 copy protection and HDMI ARC on HDMI 1.

• 2 USB ports - You can plug in USB drives to play your own media files, like photos, music and videos. The USB ports are USB 2.0.

• Ethernet port - For the most stable internet connection, you can use the Ethernet port to connect directly to your home network. This ensures smooth 4K streaming and web browsing.

• Dual band WiFi - The TV also has built-in dual band WiFi supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. This allows wireless connection to your home network for smart features and streaming.

• Bluetooth - Bluetooth is included for connecting wireless headphones, speakers and other Bluetooth devices.

The port selection covers everything needed for a full home entertainment setup while maintaining a clean, minimalist rear panel design. Most users will appreciate the three HDMI inputs and dual USB ports in this price range.

Ease of Use

The RCA Roku TV has an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and control. The included remote is basic but functional, with dedicated buttons for popular streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. The remote feels a bit lightweight and cheap, but gets the job done.

The home screen features large app tiles and a simple layout that's easy to understand. There's no complex menu system - all of your apps and inputs are right on the main home page. Settings are also easy to find and adjust, with options clearly laid out in the settings menu. Things like adjusting picture settings, connecting to WiFi, and pairing Bluetooth devices were quick and painless during setup and general use.

The on-screen menu responds quickly to button presses on the remote. Navigating between apps, inputs, and settings has little lag. The Roku TV OS is smooth, polished, and easy enough for anyone to use right out of the box without needing to consult a manual. With its simple remote and intuitive menus, the RCA Roku TV provides a hassle-free smart TV experience.

Value

The RCA Roku TV 55" offers excellent value for its price point. At around £299, it's one of the most affordable 55-inch 4K TVs from a major brand. Compared to other similarly-sized 4K TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and other competitors, the RCA model is substantially less expensive. For example, a comparable 55-inch 4K TV from LG or Samsung would generally cost £500-800. While those models may offer a bit better picture quality or smart TV capabilities, the RCA provides the core essentials like 4K resolution, HDR, and smart streaming at an unbeatable budget price point. For buyers who want a big screen 4K TV for casual viewing or a secondary room, without all the bells and whistles, the RCA Roku TV delivers strong value. The price to performance ratio is hard to beat. You get a large, decent quality 4K panel and smart TV functionality for under £300. For many cost-conscious shoppers, it will be tough to find a better bargain than this RCA model.

Pros & Cons

The RCA Roku 55" TV has several positive features that make it a good value. Some of the key pros include:

• Large 55" 4K screen provides an immersive viewing experience.

• Roku TV platform is easy to use with access to thousands of streaming apps.

• Compatible with Apple AirPlay and HomeKit for iOS device connectivity.

• Support for HDR and Dolby Vision delivers enhanced 4K picture quality.

• Built-in WiFi makes it easy to get the TV connected to the internet.

• Voice remote with Google Assistant enables hands-free control.

However, there are some downsides to consider as well:

• Picture quality is decent but not as good as higher end 4K TVs.

• Only 60Hz refresh rate, so motion could look blurry with fast action.

• Audio from the built-in speakers is just average.

• Limited number of HDMI and USB ports.

• Stand/base is large and takes up a lot of space on a TV stand.

Overall, the RCA 55" Roku TV provides good features and performance for the price, but lacks some of the premium capabilities of more expensive 4K TV models. It's a solid budget option, but not comparable to high-end 4K TVs.

Conclusion

The RCA Roku TV 55" is a solid budget 4K TV that provides good overall performance for its price point. The simple Roku TV interface makes it easy to access popular streaming apps and content. Image quality is decent but not comparable to more expensive 4K TVs, with good but not great color reproduction and contrast. The built-in audio is passable but adding a soundbar can greatly improve the listening experience.

For shoppers looking for an affordable 4K smart TV, the RCA Roku TV 55” is definitely worth considering. It lacks some of the bells and whistles of pricier models but gets the basics right. The easy-to-use Roku platform, wide app selection, and large 55” screen size make this a compelling option for casual viewers and streamers on a budget.

While image and sound quality have some limitations, the addition of HDR support helps boost contrast and color. Gaming performance is also satisfactory for casual gameplay. The sleek, minimalist design allows this large TV to fit well in most living rooms.

Overall, the RCA Roku TV 55” delivers very good value. Buyers get a big, bright 4K smart TV with good streaming features at an affordable price point. It's a great choice for shoppers looking for a budget-friendly TV that doesn't sacrifice core performance and usability.