Roku is not on the list of top smart TV software providers, and the TV brands it comes with are usually of the low-cost variety. That doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it, but the lower cost does come with some negatives—most of which have to do with quality.
While these other brands succeed well, Roku isn’t a bad option for built-in smart software. It’s easy to use and comes equipped with low-cost brands, making it more affordable for the average household. For instance, the specific model being reviewed today is a 65” Onn Roku TV. Brand new, it had only cost around $475. Other brands are usually $200 or more for the same exact size with the same functionality.
What We Love
Roku smart TVs are amazing, and here’s why!
Inexpensive
Compared to most other smart TV manufacturers/software providers, Roku is honestly one of the best brands to get the most bang for your buck. “Cheaper” doesn’t always mean “lesser.” Sure, there are some quirks here and there, but overall, they’re negligible.
When it comes to the Onn TV with Roku, it’s significantly cheaper than some of the other more popular/well-known brands around. If you are looking for something that will last you several years and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, it’s a very good choice.
User-Friendly
There is nothing complicated about this TV. You plug it in, turn it on, and connect it to your WiFi. You can then select anything from YouTube to Disney+ from the home screen. Not only does it come loaded with streaming apps, but live TV and movie rentals are also available.
There is a menu on the left that you can scroll through to get to the settings and all the options to watch your favorite shows and movies. The brand has made it easy to log into everything, and there is really no difficulty.
The UI design has been crafted so anyone can figure out how to use it. There is no learning curve at all, and it’s really just a lot of scrolling. Even the controller is small with minimal buttons; no bulky monstrosity with a million buttons on it.
Multiple Features
As mentioned above, the Onn Roku smart TV comes with streaming service apps such as Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, etc. But, one thing we genuinely like is that you can watch live TV as well, which is great because it gives you basic channels without having to spend an arm and a leg on cable.
Roku also has a selection of free movies that you can watch from Roku directly. If those movies aren’t your style, it comes with some that you can rent as well. They have a fairly extensive catalog.
There is also the ability to rent whole channels. This is nice compared to cable because some people only like watching a few channels but spend hundreds on cable for just a few. Roku makes it so you only pay for what you actually want to watch.
In short, there are a ton of really amazing options, and you’ll be able to find stuff to watch that you enjoy without having to spend an obscene amount of money.
What Could Be Better
There are, of course, negatives for Roku, most being technical. However, these are likely due to the TV manufacturers they have partnered with.
Freezing Menus
From time to time, when navigating the menus to get to an app or switch to a movie/TV, the menu on the Onn Roku smart TV seems to just stick. This issue appears to be more tied with the actual software than the television itself.
It usually stops stuttering after letting it sit for a few minutes. However, if it doesn’t start to move again or is completely hung up, the easiest solution is to simply turn the TV off and back on. You do not need to force-restart it if the screen turns off with the off button.
If it’s completely stuck, you may have to completely unplug the cable from the back of the TV. But try to avoid doing this too much, as this can cause issues with the software over time.
Glitches
One of the biggest and most frequent issues we have experienced with the Onn Roku TV is that sometimes the audio just doesn’t work. None of the apps or anything will produce sound. However, the sound will work if the screen is plugged into a computer.
This makes us believe the problem is potentially both a software issue from Roku and a hardware issue from the manufacturer, Onn. Switching the audio inputs doesn’t work, and turning the TV off the regular way also does not work. This has only been fixable by doing a forced restart by unplugging the TV.
This particular glitch is very annoying and can be so frequent that you find yourself needing to do a force restart 2-3 times a day. It has lessened over time, but it still happens far more frequently than is appropriate.
Final Thoughts
The Onn Roku Smart TV does not have a ton of negatives, but the ones it does have can be very frustrating and grow to be annoying. However, it does come with a significantly cheaper price tag, and honestly, for the price, it’s not terrible.
