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How to Nab a Cheap Roku on Black Friday

Roku is discounting its older models as well as its entry-level Streaming Stick and Express+.

 & Tom Brant Managing Editor

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Roku has packed a lot of tech into its streaming sticks and boxes since they first went on sale in 2008. The most significant updates this year include 4K HDR streaming, available on the Premiere+.

But the past eight years have also brought worthy competitors, including the Google Chromecast, which also now supports 4K streaming. So Roku must compete on price, too, and that's exactly what it's doing next week, when some of its already-affordable basic models will see steep discounts:

  • The Roku Streaming Stick will be available at Best Buy and other online retailers, as well as in stores, for $35.99 on Nov. 20. It normally sells for $49.99. (See PCMag's review)
  • Walmart will offer the Roku Express+ for $25 starting Nov. 24, down from $39.99. The Express+ includes composite video-out ports if you have an older TV without HDMI. (See PCMag's review)

Two of Roku's older models will also be on sale:

  • Kohl's will have the Roku 2 for $44.99 on Nov. 21.
  • Best Buy will offer the Roku 3 for $49.99 on Nov. 24.

Although bargain hunters with their eye on 4K will be disappointed, these deals could prompt Roku early adopters to replace their older boxes with slightly newer ones. The Roku 2 and Roku 3 both offer faster processors than the models they replaced, and are currently selling for $69 and $88, respectively.

Meanwhile, Microsoft, GameStop, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Staples have also announced details of their Black Friday 2016 sales.

For more deals, check out Offers.com and TechBargains.com.

About Our Expert

Tom Brant

Tom Brant

Managing Editor

I’m a managing editor at PCMag.com focused on PC hardware. Reading this during the day? Then you've caught me testing gear and editing reviews of Wi-Fi routers, printers, laptops, and tons of other personal tech. (Reading this at night? Then I’m probably dreaming about all those cool products.) I’ve covered the consumer tech world as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015.

I've covered most major consumer tech events, including CES, Computex, Google I/O, and IFA. I've also appeared on CBS News, in USA Today, and at many other outlets to offer analysis on breaking technology news.

Before I joined the tech-journalism ranks, I wrote on topics as diverse as Borneo's rainforests, Middle Eastern airlines, and Big Data's role in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also have a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University.

The Technology I Use

While most people buy a phone or laptop and stick with it for years, I’m lucky enough to use devices based on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows daily as part of my job. As a result, I cycle through lots of tech in addition to my IT-issue work laptop. (Yes, that's a ThinkPad.) Personally, I’ve also owned a lot of tech products both cutting-edge and cringeworthy, from the Nintendo GameCube and the original MacBook to the Palm m105 and the CueCat.

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